03/20/2026
In the fall of 2025, three-year-old Franco was diagnosed with a rare 9-centimetre tumour – Stage 4 high-risk neuroblastoma.
One of the hospitals his family chose was Trillium Health Partners’ Credit Valley Hospital, which features a regional cancer specialty program and enables Lorenza and her family to access treatment close to home. “It kept me away from the traffic of downtown Toronto,” she says.
Following his initial diagnosis, Franco is set to undergo 18 months of treatment. “He will celebrate his fourth birthday this March in the hospital,” says Lorenza.
Franco’s care is split between two hospitals. At Trillium Health Partners, he undergoes bloodwork and receives treatment when he has a fever.
“Credit Valley Hospital is a place where they make you feel like a patient instead of a number. . .They were just like family,” says Lorenza.
A highlight for Franco during his stay at Credit Valley Hospital’s Paediatric Patient Care Unit was when his nurse arranged for a police officer to visit him. “He deserved something special, and he loves police officers,” says Lorenza.
When the police officer arrived, he brought toys. “Franco was very happy,” says Lorenza.
Over Christmas, staff at Trillium Health Partners gave Franco and his two sisters each a teddy bear – gifts enabled through the generosity of Trillium Health Partners Foundation’s monthly donor base. “The staff made Franco feel like a special guy,” Lorenza says. “He was so happy that he and his sisters had something special to play with together.”
🔗 Read more of Franco’s story and to learn how you can donate to support things like paediatric cancer care at Trillium Health Partners: https://trilliumgiving.ca/stories/brave-little-franco-pediatric-cancer-story
