STATEN ISLAND, NY — The Staten Island community is coming together to support Lucy Dina, a young girl fighting a tough battle against neuroblastoma.
In October, the Staten Island Advance/SILive.com reported that Lucy’s cancer journey began when she was just 9 months old after what seemed like an eye irritation that led to the discovery of the disease. Neuroblastoma is a rare cancer that primarily affects young children and often requires aggressive, long-term treatment. Over the years, she has undergone brain surgery, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy as part of her treatment.
“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,” said her mother, Lori Del Percio, 43, of Oakwood. “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.”
The family has faced repeated relapses, with the most recent one occurring in August of 2025. Since then, Lucy has undergone two chemotherapy cycles and one chemo-immunotherapy cycle. She is now preparing for a long-term treatment with Lorlatinib, a cancer treatment. Due to difficulty swallowing oral medications, Lucy recently had surgery to place a G-tube, allowing her to receive the medicine she needs.
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
Beyond the medical challenges, the family has faced additional hardships at home. Their apartment 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 that they believed had untreated flea and larvae infestations.
A GoFundMe campaign that was put together by a friend has raised over $20,000 to help cover treatment and moving expenses.
To continue to help Lucy and her family during this challenging time, the Rusty Wolf Saloon in Great Kills, in collaboration with Billy Contreras of the Child Abuse Prevention Organization, is hosting a fundraiser on Sunday, Dec. 7, at 3 p.m.
“I’m just happy to see a community coming together to help a family going through one of the toughest times of their lives,” Del Percio shared. “When it’s your family going through it, it makes you realize the impact things like this have on the community as a whole.”
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
The event will feature a DJ Demo, raffle baskets, a 50/50 drawing, and more. A $20 suggested donation will be collected at the door.
“The fact is this could be any one of our kids. No parent ever wants to sit in a room and listen to a team of doctors say that their child has to fight for their life, but it’s the reality that happens,” Contreras stated. “We will do everything in our power to raise as much funds to ease the burden on Lucy’s family. Our slogan says it all: Their fight is our fight.”
Along with this event, Jim Hickey, an activist who raises awareness for pediatric cancer, will do a long-distance walk to fundraise for Lucy’s family. According to Del Percio, the retired U.S. Marine and cancer survivor will begin his walk from Montauk, Long Island on Christmas Day, and will finish a month later on Staten Island.