âIâll see you in heaven.â
It was the last thing Al Braccolino, 90, of Crown Point, told one of his daughters as paramedics loaded him into an ambulance Nov. 16. COVID-19 forced him into the final fight of his life.
Ten days later, the chair Al usually occupied at the Thanksgiving table would sit empty. The husband to his wife of 70 years, father of three and grandfather of six died on the holiday.
Alâs daughter, Sandra Noe, was herself suffering from COVID-19, which she contracted while caring for her sick parents, when the virus forced Alâs hospitalization.
Noe, 66, is no stranger to helping elderly shut-ins weather isolation.
They re the five little faces I still see every spring when it s time for the clippers to annihilate the hair atop my scalp.
Their accounts motivate me to raise money each year in the battle against childhood cancer. Today, I m asking you to take in and consider their stories.
Then I hope their real-life narratives motivate all who are financially able to donate to the Northwest Indiana Cancer Kids Foundation, which provides crucial support for Region families whose children are entangled in these desperate fights for survival.
All five of the children profiled in today s column are the kids in whose names or memories I ve shaved in years past to raise money for childhood cancer research. Generous Times readers have always come through, ensuring my annual head shave is one of the most expensive haircuts on record.
âIâll see you in heaven.â
It was the last thing Al Braccolino, 90, of Crown Point, told one of his daughters as paramedics loaded him into an ambulance Nov. 16. COVID-19 forced him into the final fight of his life.
Ten days later, the chair Al usually occupied at the Thanksgiving table would sit empty. The husband to his wife of 70 years, father of three and grandfather of six died on the holiday.
Alâs daughter, Sandra Noe, was herself suffering from COVID-19, which she contracted while caring for her sick parents, when the virus forced Alâs hospitalization.
Noe, 66, is no stranger to helping elderly shut-ins weather isolation.
MARC CHASE: Help shave my head and fight childhood cancer amid COVID-19 nwitimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nwitimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.