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MARIO NICHOLAS NORO
…brave, strong, determined, fighter…

Mario’s First Day Of School
Mario was so excited to begin his first day of
school. He was starting 3 rd grade…he was
happy and full of energy. We had no idea
that he was not feeling his best. As the first
week of school went on, we did start to notice
that when he came home from school, Mario
seemed a little tired. We thought maybe it
was just because he was starting a new
routine, starting a new school year, and
maybe he was a little nervous as well. Mario
never really seemed “different” to us.
We had no idea that anything terrible was
wrong.

Mario’s First Day Of School
Mario’s little sister, Gianna, started kindergarten.
Mario was happy to help Gia around the school.
He was excited to introduce her to his friends and
some of the teachers at school. Even though
Mario was very happy to have Gianna at school,
he still seemed to be a little more tired each day.
We started to become a little suspicious that
maybe Mario was starting to get sick with a cold.
One day, when I picked Mario and Gianna up
after school, Mario told me that he was not
feeling so great. He told me that his nose was
bleeding a little bit at school. I thought that was
pretty unusual, so I called Mario’s doctor and
they asked me to bring him in for a check up.

Our Journey to the 9 th Floor
Because I told the doctor that Mario seemed so tired, he
suggested that we test Mario’s blood just to make sure he did
not have an infection.
We went to the hospital to check Mario’s blood. The results
were not good. The doctors told us that Mario had Leukemia, a
serious cancer in his blood. The Leukemia was making Mario
tired, it even made his nose bleed. We were told that we
would be staying on a special floor in the hospital, the 9 th Floor.
We would be staying with other children who have a similar
disease to Mario. We were very sad, but we knew that we
would get Mario better and that the doctors would take special
care of our little boy.
Mario had to wear a special mask so that he did not come into
contact with any germs. It was very important that we keep
germs away so that Mario did not get sick. He needed all of
his energy to fight the cancer in his blood.
It was very scary, but Mario is very brave.

Mario and Leukemia
Over the next several days, Mario had many,
many tests done. We were told that Mario
has a disease called Acute Lymphoblastic
Leukemia, or ALL. The doctors told us that
Mario would need special medicine to help
his body fight ALL. The doctors also told us
that Mario would receive this medicine for
3 ½ years to be sure all of the Leukemia was
out of his body.
Mario is strong, but the medicine makes him
very sick sometimes. Even though the
medicine will help him, it is very powerful and
sometimes makes his stomach not feel so
great. Mario also lost all of his hair. We
think he looks beautiful, but sometimes he
feels sad about it. It will grow back over
time – he will always look handsome to us!!!

Mario battles on…
The children who have Leukemia have to go through
some really tough times. One time, Mario’s body
did not have enough blood, so he needed to get
more. When he got the blood – he had an allergic
reaction to it. This was very scary. Mario had a
hard time breathing. He had to be on oxygen to
help his lungs work properly. It took a few days,
but then he was feeling fine again. The doctors
knew how to get him better – and he felt like he
was getting stronger.

Mario meets the Pittsburgh Pirates
Mario had some special visitors in the hospital.
Some of the players on the Pittsburgh Pirates
stopped by to visit him. Mario was very happy to
meet the players. They all were very nice and made
Mario smile. Mario plays baseball and he can’t wait
to get back on the field once he is feeling better.

Mario and TROY
Steelers football player, Troy Palumalu, often visits
the children on the 9 th floor. In fact, Mario has spent
a lot of time getting to know Troy. It is very exciting
to spend time with Troy. He tells us stories and
always is very nice and kind. He never rushes his
visits with Mario. He visits the children almost every
Friday. He is a very generous person – and Mario
really looks up to him.

A special Christmas…
This Christmas was magical. Mario had to go
into the hospital for medicine the very week that
Santa was coming. Mario was determined to
get home in time for Christmas morning. The
doctors told us they really thought that Mario
would spend Christmas in the hospital – but not
to worry, Santa would find him there. Mario
refused to wake up Christmas morning any
where but home – so, he told his body to keep
fighting – and he surprised everyone! We
made it home on December 23 and had
Christmas morning at our home…just like Mario
said we would!!!

Support for Mario from EVERYONE!

Life With Leukemia
Mario is an amazing child. He never
complains about his illness. He accepts it and
is determined to beat it. Mario has spent so
many days and hours in the hospital over the
past 6 months…it is very hard but we know
we are not alone. We have many people
cheering us on this long road. Every day is a
gift. Mario is a hero – he is a champion.
And there are a lot of other children fighting,
too. We all need to come together to help
these amazing children win their fight. We
have to support them and let them know we
believe in them.

Mario and Gianna Noro