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UPDATE! Hi Everyone! Biography Sonny grew up in Pennsauken and graduated from Camden Catholic High School in Cherry Hill, Class of 1986.He excelled in sports, especially football and baseball, and believed rewards of any kind were earned only through hard work, which he demonstrated by example. He joined the Navy and later became a Camden City Police Officer. He had a passion for fishing and would be so excited about an upcoming fishing trip that he would stay up all night "getting ready".Sonny’s family and friends were very important to him. He was no stranger to tragedy as he lost both of his parents to cancer. His parents raised him to be a man of integrity and character, traits by which he lived and died mastering. Sonny and I grew up together and knew each other since 1985. During the years, our lives always crossed and our family and friends slowly became one big group. We became best friends which eventually turned into a more serious relationship. Sonny and I were engaged February 14, 2004 and planned to wed in November, 2004. On April 13, 2004 Sonny went to his doctor for blood work because he was feeling "tired". His doctor called him at work to tell him his lab work was abnormal and needed to be redrawn. It was a typical day as he just finished work, but found the phone call "disturbing". Assuming there was a lab error, he had his blood redrawn and the lab work still came back abnormal. At age 35, he was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia Ph+.From the night of the blood work, he spent 3 weeks in the hospital and started chemotherapy 48 hours later, a devastating blow to a family who had lost so much to cancer in such a short period of time. The Ph+ chromosome is a poor prognostic indicator, so patients with the chromosome need a bone marrow transplant as soon as first remission is achieved. A donor is needed for the transplant, and Sonny’s brothers were tested and did not match. Eventually, a donor was found in the national registry. A kind stranger gave all of us so much hope for Sonny’s renewed health. We will be forever grateful to his donor who gave us the chance for a future with Sonny. Needless to say, our world was turned upside down, and we were devastated and shocked by the news. Sonny and I cancelled our November wedding and married July 30, 2004. It was such a beautiful day and for the first time since April 13, 2004, cancer, for a brief period of time, was forgotten as the joy of marriage and plans for the future were celebrated. That day is now a memory forever cherished. After being treated at Cooper Hospital, and staying in remission for 6 months, Sonny entered Hahnemann Hospital for his bone marrow transplant October 15, 2004. After a valiant 10 month battle with cancer and many complications, Sonny died. He was surrounded by family and friends who stayed by his side until the very end. Sonny began a new journey on February 17, 2005 at 9:20pm. He was 36 years old. He never complained during his illness and was a true hero to all who knew him. He brought people together in his life and through his death. His funeral was both sad and beautiful as he was honored for the outstanding human being he was. This year has been difficult as we all miss him so very much! I buried him in Calvary cemetery so he could be with his parents (who were so proud of him) across from Camden Catholic football field where he once played, so he can hear the cheer of the fans, for all eternity. Yours, |
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