Donor match needed for three-year-old Leia Luna Fallico

June 13, 2021 12:00 p.m.
City of Vaughan joins call-to-action to help find bone marrow transplant
 
The City of Vaughan is joining the public call-to-action to find a bone marrow transplant for three-year-old Leia Luna Fallico who lives in Vaughan with her mother and father, Marco and Shonna Fallico. 
 
During a meeting of the June 8 Committee of the Whole (2), Vaughan Council unanimously endorsed Ward 3 Councillor Rosanna DeFrancesca’s Member’s Resolution requesting the City of Vaughan raise awareness and identify possible opportunities to help find a donor match for young Leia. Marco Fallico spoke in favour of the Member's Resolution at the virtual committee meeting. He used the opportunity to share with Members of Council and the broader public information about his daughter's condition and his family's tireless efforts to find a donor match.
 
Leia has been diagnosed with Dyskeratosis Congenita, a rare genetic form of bone marrow failure. Due to the severity of her condition, Leia needs a bone marrow transplant. Because of Leia’s mixed ethnicity, made up of both Middle Eastern and European descent, matching her with a donor is significantly more challenging.
 
For more information, including how to become a stem cell donor, please visit journeywithleia.com. Questions or comments can be directed to ask@journeywithleia.com. Click here to read a June 3, 2021 open letter from the Fallico family in City Life Magazine.
 
QUOTES
 
"To Marco, Shonna and the Fallico family, I want you to know that you are not alone. The entire Vaughan community is with you every step of this journey to find a donor match for Leia. I commend Councillor DeFrancesca for bringing Leia's story forward to Vaughan Council and for mobilizing City staff and residents to help this remarkable, brave and strong young girl find a donor match. The power of community is limitless; our city truly embodies the spirit of generosity. Together, we look forward to a healthy, promising and bright future for Leia and her family."
-        Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua
 
"The moment I heard about Leia's story, I knew the City of Vaughan had to do its part to work directly with the Fallico family to find a donor match for Leia. Our community is one family. Vaughan is home to a welcoming, compassionate and committed people dedicated to helping neighbours in need. My Member’s Resolution is Vaughan Council’s public call-to-action for the entire community to join Leia’s journey to a full and healthy recovery.”
-        Ward 3 Councillor Rosanna DeFrancesca
 
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