Christopher Colangelo

Donna Garland

Andrew Hollitt

Kristine Morello-Wiatrak

Joey Cialkowski: A brave boy who inspired many.

Joey Cialkowski, a boy who touched and inspired everyone around him, never let his battle with cancer keep him from living and loving. Just shy of his fifth birthday, the kindergartener was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in 1997. The little boy bravely underwent radiation treatments, and showed great progress as his doctor and family had hoped. With advances in treatments, 98% of children with ALL at this early stage go on to full remission. Sadly, the odds of recovery proved not to be in Joey's favor and in 2005, he developed a high-grade, malignant brain tumor (Stage 3A of 4) as a result of the same radiation that saved his life five years earlier.

"Joey was a fighter," recalls his mother, Arlene Cialkowski. "He was determined to beat the odds and prove the doctors and the doubters wrong."

And prove them wrong he did. For the second time in his life, Joey began intensive chemo and for the second time, he seemed to be winning the battle, as the tumor shrank by 80%.

"Joey was set to be in the school play on a Friday, but he ended up undergoing surgery on a Wednesday. He told his teacher that he would see him on Friday, and sure enough, just two days after having surgery, there was Joey, on stage in the school play," remembers Arlene.

In February of 2007, things took a turn for the worse when Joey was diagnosed with a second high-grade, Stage 4 malignant brain tumor. Joey put up a valiant battle, and managed to make it to his eighth grade graduation from Macopin Middle School in West Milford, NJ.

During this trying time, Arlene was put in touch with Family Reach Foundation through Fern Rome, a social worker with the Butterflies Program at Valley Health System in Ridgewood, NJ.

"Neither my husband or I could work while Joey was sick, so Family Reach stepped in and paid our mortgage. It was a welcome relief and allowed us to focus on being with Joey rather than the stresses of the outside world," said Arlene.

Joey slipped into a coma over the summer of 2007. He woke up, told his family that he loved them and heaven was beautiful, then slipped back into a coma. He passed away on August 9, 2007, at the age of 14, one month before he was due to begin high school.

Would you like to remember someone special?

Pay tribute to a loved-one through Family Reach.

Make a donation in memory of a loved-one

Make a donation to the mission today!

Post a Comment

Provide your thoughts about this In Memory story.

"When you remember me, it means that you have carried something of who I am with you, that I have left some mark of who I am on who you are...It means that even after I die, you can still see my face and hear my voice and speak to me in your heart..." - Frederick Buechner