Caterina

Almost 20 years ago, I gave birth to a lively little girl named Caterina. I remember how she played with her dolls at home in Rome, Italy, and frolicked in the sand during vacations in Sardinia.

Life was good. Yet one summer day in 2008, my daughter — then two and a half — suddenly lost her balance. Within days, we received a devastating diagnosis: medulloblastoma. This began a harrowing period in our lives.

A surgery left Caterina partially paralyzed. Chemotherapy and an autologous stem cell transplant were hard, but they gave us hope.

Every parent lives for hope, but our time with Caterina after treatment was short-lived. By spring, her tumor relapsed.
Despite radiotherapy, doctors informed us that no other treatments existed.

I remember wishing there were more options — that there was something we could do.

We said goodbye to Caterina in 2009. Later, my husband wrote a book about her in Italian called “Caterina’s Flight.”

Some years later I came across the MBI through a social media post. It awakened a desire within me to make a difference. For the first time, I realized there might be hope for other children suffering from this terrible disease.

The collaboration among some of the world's top researchers impressed me. I also was struck by Fernando's determination and ability to mobilize resources.

Years of healing have strengthened me and given me perspective. Today, I’m using my voice to grow our community in support of the MBI. Together, we can do more than hope. We can act so families like mine will finally have good options.

Francesca, Caterina’s mother