{"id":16037,"date":"2025-10-25T10:25:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-25T10:25:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/16037\/"},"modified":"2025-10-25T10:25:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-25T10:25:08","slug":"community-supports-staten-island-6-year-old-fighting-cancer-for-3rd-time-since-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/16037\/","title":{"rendered":"Community supports Staten Island 6-year-old fighting cancer for 3rd time since 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"

STATEN ISLAND, NY — Lucy Dina was a perfect, nine-month-old baby. <\/p>\n

\u201cShe was like a perfect baby. She ate well. She slept well. Everything was great,\u201d said her mother, Lori Del Percio, 43, of Oakwood.<\/p>\n

But, in February of 2020, what appeared to be routine eye irritation quickly escalated into an emergency room visit that would change the family\u2019s life forever. <\/p>\n

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\u2019s eye but recommended late-night imaging, which led to another misdiagnosis of orbital cellulitis.<\/p>\n

\"StatenLucy 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<\/p>\n

But one doctor took a second glance at Lucy\u2019s labs. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe looked at the imaging, and was like, this is not orbital cellulitis, and you need to get this child to Cohen Children\u2019s Hospital, like, immediately,\u201d Del Percio recalled. \u201cAt this point, it\u2019s two o\u2019clock, three o\u2019clock in the morning, and they\u2019re like, we have a helicopter coming to get your baby.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lucy was then airlifted to Cohen Children\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\"StatenLucy 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<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou 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,\u201d her mom said. <\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

\"StatenLucy 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<\/p>\n

In September of 2020, rather than pursuing the traditional stem cell transplant protocol at Cohen\u2019s due to its possible side effects, the family opted for a newer immunotherapy treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s like, this little baby, right? And I\u2019m like, how are they going to give her these drugs that adults can\u2019t even handle? Like, how is this little baby going to handle it? She handled it really well though; she\u2019s really strong,\u201d Del Percio mentioned. <\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

She was once again airlifted to Cohen\u2019s, where doctors did emergency brain surgery. Dr. Shaun David Rodgers, a pediatric neurosurgeon, performed the operation. <\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the masses, the largest one, broke the capillaries in her brain and caused a hemorrhage. So they rushed her out to Cohen\u2019s, and Dr. Rodgers was her doctor. He saved her life,\u201d Del Percio said. <\/p>\n

This second relapse involved daily radiation to Lucy\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n

\"StatenLucy 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<\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

With the trial completed, the family, who was now joined by Brock Underwood, Del Percio\u2019s fianc\u00e9, felt it was time to finally ring the bell — the symbol that a fighter had beaten cancer. <\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had reached out to some parents in a support group that I\u2019m in whose children have similar relapses. I said, \u2018What do they typically do to treat this? What is the protocol?\u2019\u201d Lucy\u2019s mom said.<\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

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\u2019s recovery, her mother said. After receiving a letter of medical necessity, the complex moved them to a different unit \u2014 which they believed had untreated fleas and larvae infestations.<\/p>\n

\"StatenLucy 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<\/p>\n

Del Percio and Underwood are both substitute paraprofessionals in the public school system, and don\u2019t receive pay for breaks or vacations. This meant that moving a second time was not in the cards for them financially. <\/p>\n

A GoFundMe campaign<\/a>, 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\u2019s ongoing needs. <\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

\u201cThese parents are giving you experiences that they went through. They\u2019re giving you the best advice, because they know it could be life or death,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

\"StatenLucy 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<\/p>\n

Del Percio\u2019s greatest inspiration continues to be Lucy. She looks forward to her daughter\u2019s 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: <\/p>\n

\u201cShe really is a trooper. I don\u2019t know how she does it, because I\u2019ll literally stub my toe and I\u2019ll 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\u2019s the strongest baby I\u2019ve ever met.\u201d<\/p>\n

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