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Retired Baltimore firefighter Joe Brocato launched a GoFundMe after his grandson, 6-year-old Joey Brocato, was diagnosed with the rare disease adrenoleukodystrophy, or ALD for short.
Joey's father Tony Brocato is also a Baltimore City firefighter, as well as a Marine veteran.
According to Joe, the disease prominently affects both the central and peripheral nervous systems, which are responsible for both the body's involuntary and voluntary functions.
Effects of the disease include damage to the brain and spinal cord, resulting in seizures, blindness, deafness, loss of ability to breathe, and loss of the ability to walk.
As the disease progresses, a downward spiral begins. Joe is helping to stall that or stop it entirely that with funds raised on the campaign, that will go toward treatment, he said.
A bone marrow transplant, or BMT, is a blood stem cell transplant that can stop the ALD from causing more damage by replacing unhealthy stem cells with healthy ones. Little Joey was recently cleared to be a good candidate for the surgery, with his early diagnosis and treatment being the best chance he has at stopping the debilitating disease.
Joey's bone marrow transplant is scheduled for Spring 2023 at the Masonic Children's Hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The family is asking for donations to help support Joey and the rest of his family as they take time off work to care for him leading up to and after the surgery.
"Your gift will be used to support them in Minneapolis in the months to come and to help us ensure they have a life to come back to in Maryland," stated Joe Brocato.
To access the GoFundMe, click here.
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