HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — Salvatore Vanni, a neurosurgeon’s son in Aventura, was 4 years old when he was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a cancer that develops in immature nerve cells.
He was a patient at seven hospitals in five states. He underwent 12 surgeries, 55 cycles of chemotherapy, and 50 rounds of radiation. He also participated in clinical trials.
His parents, Dr. Steven Vanni and Silvia Vanni, co-founded The Mystic Force Foundation in 2008 to fund pediatric cancer research. Salvatore died on March 19, 2011. He was 7 years old.
In his memory, the foundation also aims to give pediatric cancer patients reasons to celebrate.
“Sad and fun,” 10-year-old Laila Atkins, a pediatric cancer patient, said about how she was feeling on Thursday during the foundation’s sixth annual Childhood Cancer Awareness Gold Ribbon Parade of Hope in Broward County.
Laila, a Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital patient who had an intravenous line and was waiting for a heart transplant, stood outside the hospital with her oncology nurses. She was cheering and dancing.
The foundation’s parade included deputies and firefighters dancing in vehicles with loud music outside of the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood. There were fire trucks.
The caravan’s journey, which also included race cars, ended with a Heroes Hangout, an after-party for a group of pediatric patients and their families in Fort Lauderdale.
For more information about how to join the foundation’s efforts, visit this page.
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