Little Girl Fighting For Her Life

by Maria Merlino
Francesca DePasquale, or Fran as everyone knows her, was disturbed by the black and blue marks that would suddenly and randomly appear on her daughter, Vienna Ivy Accardo, who is now 3 years old.

PARENTS Luigi Accardo and Francesca DePasquale with daughter Vienna Ivy, who fights for her life with childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Photo by Maria Merlino

“This was three weeks before she was diagnosed,” said DePasquale, the head teller at Prudential Bank. “She was also getting a mucus-filled cough. The doctor was treating it as a normal childhood sickness.”
At this point, the worried mother changed into a warrior.
“I said ‘I not leaving until I get antibiotics and a blood test for her.’ When the test came back with low blood counts, I went back to the doctor and told him I wasn’t leaving until I got a complete workup for Vienna,” she said, her eyes filling with tears.
“ I just knew what it was. The doctor took me and Louie (Luigi Accardo, the father) in a room and didn’t deny it. Vienna was going to have a long hospital stay… I wanted to take her place, so bad!”
Diagnosed with childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), is a type of cancer in which the bone marrow makes too many immature lymphocytes which is a type of white blood cell.
When Arlene Rawlings, owner of Forever Young at 11th and Moyamensing Avenue, found out about little Vienna’s blood disease and how the happy-go-lucky kid would now be suffering through two and a half years of chemo, she sprang into action.
“We were all devastated. Everyone got emotional. I have special bond with her she was so vibrant.” said Rawlings. “We all love Vienna, She was the sunshine in our daycare. Everyone just sprang into action and took to social media. One of my former daycare students is Josette Lancelotti. When she saw it on Facebook, she told Albert of the Jesters and they put together a beef and beer that raised $1,800. Another company, the Mad Hatter, just donated $1,000. Our T-shirts were designed by Christine Carasella and ‘Fight Believe Hope’ is the motto.”

FOREVER YOUNG Daycare owner Arlene Rawlings and Josette Lancellotti who actually went to Forever Young as toddler, sprang into action when they found out about little Vienna’s blood disease. Photo by Maria Merlino

A fundraiser planned as a little lunch grew to overflowing capacity.
“Thank you is not a strong enough word in the dictionary for me to express how I feel,” said DePasquale. “So many times you feel like you want to give up, but with all the support , it’s not an option. Vienna was a high energy baby and now her personality is so sad and upset. My life is Vienna, I go to work and spend every other moment with her. She will have to endure years of chemo.”

Although DePasquale is on Family Leave, she ponders the future. The baby has insurance but the copays will be due and in the long term, there is a cap.

Donations for the T-shirts and other help is being handled by Forever Young. Call them at 215-551-9212. There is also a GoFundMe page where you can donate online at http://www.gofundme.com/ViennaIvyAccardo. Donation jars are sprinkled throughout the city too. The Penrose Diner has one.

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