Zo’s Bravehearts Foundation’s Inspiration
Lorenzo was diagnosed at age 3 1/2 with high-risk B-cell acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in April 2020. He was diagnosed after months of unexplained, frequent illnesses, fatigue, pallor, and leg pain. The first few months were a whirlwind of extended hospital stays for fever, chemotherapy, and blood transfusions. Thanks to the amazing nurses, Lorenzo has fond memories of the hospital.
Lorenzo remained in isolation from family and friends for the first year and a half due to having no immune system and COVID. Eventually, things stabilized and a new normal was established while navigating through various side effects. Lorenzo has an amazing spirit and has truly carried a “tough like a t-rex” mentality with him every step of the way. After 2 1/2 years of treatment, Lorenzo took his last chemotherapy medicine on 8/10/2022! He will continue to have check-ups and labs for the next several years until considered cured. Now, his family wants to help families who are going through this process.
Why I Got Involved
-Rino Armeni
President and Founder
80 SECONDS
Every 80 seconds, a child is diagnosed with cancer.
400,000
The number of children diagnosed with cancer every year.
8 YEARS OLD
The average age of a child diagnosed with cancer.
42 Families
Every day, 42 families find out that their child has cancer.
A Message From Our Founder, Rino Armeni
Once upon a time, there was a typical American-Italian family living a fairly normal life filled with home cooking every Sunday night and holiday celebrations every season in a humble home, sharing laughs and much love for the grandchildren. Then, cancer decided to pick a fight with my grandchild Lorenzo, turning our fairytale into a nightmare. I became involved from the beginning, witnessing how my grandson was afflicted with this terrible sickness at the age of four. I saw the hardships my daughter and son-in-law had to endure. To ensure that I could be a source of support for my daughter and her husband, I quickly realized that there was still much room for improvement to make the family comfortable.
Simple tasks such as house cleaning, caring for siblings, grocery shopping, and car maintenance became major challenges, and we saw a need for extra help. Our goal is to address every situation to ease the family's burden during this challenging time.
That's why we created Zo's Bravehearts Foundation to restore balance and harmony to families facing childhood cancer. We want to create a healthy family to make a healthy child. With that said, we ask for your support to stand with us to make a difference in the lives of families who need it the most.