STATEN ISLAND, NY — Lucy Dina was a perfect, nine-month-old baby.
“She was like a perfect baby. She ate well. She slept well. Everything was great,” said her mother, Lori Del Percio, 43, of Oakwood.
But, in February of 2020, what appeared to be routine eye irritation quickly escalated into an emergency room visit that would change the family’s life forever.
Lucy was initially misdiagnosed with pink eye, but a relative had noticed an odd symptom — her eye appeared to be bulging. Their doctor referred the family to a pediatric ophthalmologist. The specialist found nothing inside Lucy’s eye but recommended late-night imaging, which led to another misdiagnosis of orbital cellulitis.
Lucy Dina’s journey began with a misdiagnosed eye irritation in 2020 that revealed a tangerine-sized tumor, leading to years of treatment.Courtesy of Lori Del Percio
But one doctor took a second glance at Lucy’s labs.
“He looked at the imaging, and was like, this is not orbital cellulitis, and you need to get this child to Cohen Children’s Hospital, like, immediately,” Del Percio recalled. “At this point, it’s two o’clock, three o’clock in the morning, and they’re like, we have a helicopter coming to get your baby.”
Lucy was then airlifted to Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New Hyde Park. Her mother, who had to drive there separately, was met by a pediatric oncology team, who suspected a larger mass in her small body.
Lucy Dina’s journey began with a misdiagnosed eye irritation in 2020 that revealed a tangerine-sized tumor, leading to years of treatment.Courtesy of Lori Del Percio
Further investigations revealed Lucy had neuroblastoma, a type of cancer that often remains hidden in children. It was presenting itself as a tangerine-sized tumor, affecting the adrenal gland.
“You know, it was a lot to take in when you just thought your kid has an infection that a couple of days of antibiotics is going to fix it,” her mom said.
The family embarked on an intensive treatment journey involving several cycles of chemotherapy and radiation. Lucy turned one that May, in the midst of her treatments.
Lucy Dina’s journey began with a misdiagnosed eye irritation in 2020 that revealed a tangerine-sized tumor, leading to years of treatment.Courtesy of Lori Del Percio
In September of 2020, rather than pursuing the traditional stem cell transplant protocol at Cohen’s due to its possible side effects, the family opted for a newer immunotherapy treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan.
“She’s like, this little baby, right? And I’m like, how are they going to give her these drugs that adults can’t even handle? Like, how is this little baby going to handle it? She handled it really well though; she’s really strong,” Del Percio mentioned.
In October of the same year, the hospital deemed the 15-month-old cancer free, with just enough time for the young girl to celebrate Halloween.
However, just a few months later, while taking a short walk on Miller Field with her mom, Lucy became unresponsive. They rushed back to their apartment where they called emergency services. Medical professionals found several masses in her cerebellum, a section of the brain that plays a crucial role in motor coordination, cognitive functions and balance.
She was once again airlifted to Cohen’s, where doctors did emergency brain surgery. Dr. Shaun David Rodgers, a pediatric neurosurgeon, performed the operation.
“One of the masses, the largest one, broke the capillaries in her brain and caused a hemorrhage. So they rushed her out to Cohen’s, and Dr. Rodgers was her doctor. He saved her life,” Del Percio said.
This second relapse involved daily radiation to Lucy’s central nervous system, brain and spine, and additional chemotherapy, as well as oral chemo at home. She finished the cycles with immunotherapy at Sloan Kettering the next year.
Lucy Dina’s journey began with a misdiagnosed eye irritation in 2020 that revealed a tangerine-sized tumor, leading to years of treatment.Courtesy of Lori Del Percio
Lucy was then admitted into a neuroblastoma vaccine trial at the hospital that had become popular. The goal of the trial was to boost her immune system to try to fight off the recurring cancer cells. For the next three years, Del Percio and her daughter visited Sloan Kettering regularly for the 10 shot vaccine, which was completed in July of 2025.
With the trial completed, the family, who was now joined by Brock Underwood, Del Percio’s fiancé, felt it was time to finally ring the bell — the symbol that a fighter had beaten cancer.
But in early August, six-year-old Lucy came home from school complaining that her leg hurt. On Aug. 15, the same day as the bell-ringing celebration, the family learned that the cancer was back, this time in her legs.
“I had reached out to some parents in a support group that I’m in whose children have similar relapses. I said, ‘What do they typically do to treat this? What is the protocol?’” Lucy’s mom said.
For the past few months, the six-year-old has been on bed rest since the tumor growth had fractured her left femur. The diagnosis led to a surgery to insert a rod in her leg and placement of a feeding tube. Dr. Shakeel Modak, a pediatric hematologist-oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, has guided the family through this third round of treatments. In the past week, Lucy has started walking again and has recovered well from her surgeries.
On top of all this, Del Percio was facing a crisis at home — the apartment the growing family had moved into had black mold and broken pipes, which were detrimental to Lucy’s recovery, her mother said. After receiving a letter of medical necessity, the complex moved them to a different unit — which they believed had untreated fleas and larvae infestations.
Lucy Dina’s journey began with a misdiagnosed eye irritation in 2020 that revealed a tangerine-sized tumor, leading to years of treatment.Courtesy of Lori Del Percio
Del Percio and Underwood are both substitute paraprofessionals in the public school system, and don’t receive pay for breaks or vacations. This meant that moving a second time was not in the cards for them financially.
A GoFundMe campaign, that was put together by a friend in a similar situation, has raised $16,000 to help cover treatment and moving expenses, while the family faces uncertainty about returning to work due to Lucy’s ongoing needs.
Although these struggles seem overwhelming, Del Percio admits that she sees the light at the end of the tunnel this time around. She has the support of friends and close family, as well as her parent support group.
“These parents are giving you experiences that they went through. They’re giving you the best advice, because they know it could be life or death,” she said.
Lucy Dina’s journey began with a misdiagnosed eye irritation in 2020 that revealed a tangerine-sized tumor, leading to years of treatment.Courtesy of Lori Del Percio
Del Percio’s greatest inspiration continues to be Lucy. She looks forward to her daughter’s future life in remission, where she can attend school at PS 55 again and go to swim lessons. But, for now, Lucy continues to be a fighter every day:
“She really is a trooper. I don’t know how she does it, because I’ll literally stub my toe and I’ll be complaining about it for six months. When she got her resection surgery, she was 14-months-old, she was trying to climb out of the crib five hours after they just cut her abdomen open, and she still had an epidural in. She’s the strongest baby I’ve ever met.”
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