From St Jude to Syracuse, Central New York Boy Battles Brain Cancer at Home

St Jude may be a hospital in Memphis Tennessee but it saves the lives of kids in their hometown. Vincent Russitano of Holland Patent is one of those kids.

Vincent was a typical 7-year-old boy who loved climbing trees, playing baseball, and running around like a crazy kid. On October 15, 2008, everything changed.

That's when Vincent's second-grade teacher, who his mom Kristie calls his guardian angel, believed he had a visual processing issue.

Brain Tumor Discovered

A visit to the eye doctor showed large optic nerves and an MRI discovered a brain tumor.

Vincent was immediately sent to Upstate University in Syracuse where he underwent surgery. Due to the location of his tumor on his brain stem, doctors couldn't remove all of it. "We were advised that it would be a couple of weeks before we had biopsy results," said Kristie. "It was sent to other hospitals to be evaluated, one of those hospitals was St. Jude."

Chemo Plan

Doctors came up with a 14-month chemotherapy treatment plan that Vincent would receive through an IV.

The chemo came to an end in 2010 when Vincent was 9. His tumor had shrunk and became dormant. "My son persevered and was able to get rid of the walker and wheelchair he needed after surgery. At age 13 he learned to ride a bike. At 14 he decided he wanted to ride a dirt bike - so he did and he raced for about 3 years."

Tumor Grows Again

The tumor started to grow again when Vincent was 16. This time he underwent a year of targeted chemo which was very different than the IV chemo he received before.

A third round of chemo was needed in 2020.

Five years later Vincent is doing well. He's working full-time and is a dad to an amazing Red Tick/Australian Shepard named Rooster. "The drastic difference in the type of chemotherapy treatment my son received from when he was 7 to when he was 16 was amazing. The difference is because of research projects at St Jude funded from fundraisers."

Grateful for St Jude

Kristie is thankful St Jude was there to help come up with a treatment plan that saved her son, all without having to leave his home, his friends, or his school.

"St Jude is an amazing place that cares for children that are under their direct care or at hospitals throughout the country that benefit from the many research projects that they assist in funding."

Finding Next Step Together

Now Kristie wants to give back and pay it forward. That's why she started Finding The Next Step Together, an organization that helps families with children that have been given a life changing diagnosis.

"I count myself as very blessed for having such a strong family/friend support network but it was nice to talk to another mom who had been there and understood the thoughts and questions I had."

Families will be directed to agencies in the community that can help. "We have so many resources in our area that people don’t know about."

Financial support will also be a part of the organization and the first fundraising event is being held on July 27. It will be a ride from Utica to Old Forge. "For $10 you will be fed breakfast and lunch and attend a ceremony in Old Forge to meet some of the families that you are helping."

Become a Partner in Hope

Become a Partner in Hope and save more kids like Vincent during our Country Cares Radiothon, presented by Drain Master. Call 800-995-5257 or donate online at St Jude.

Thank You Gifts

To thank you for supporting St Jude Children's Research Hospital and becoming a Partner in Hope you'll have the honor of joining the country community with a 'This Shirt Saves Live ' t-shirt and a Music Gives to St Jude Kids hoodie. 

Plus, we have tons of incentives. From Luke Bryan, Hardy, Jason Aldan, and Scotty McCreery concert tickets to a Keith Urban autographed guitar.