Sabrina & Camillo - Chefs

One of my fondest memories with both Sabrina and Camillo was our time spent cooking. For both children cooking was one of their favorite activities. Making homemade pizza was a special treat for Sabrina and Camillo. I distinctly recall one afternoon in the fall of 2002, shortly after Camillo’s first bone marrow transplant, when Sabrina and Camillo decided that the family would be having a pepperoni and cheese pizza for supper. Sabrina and Camillo loved playing with the pizza dough. They had more on their hands and faces then on the pizza tray! Sabrina would instruct Camillo to put the sauce on the dough while she would place the pepperoni slices on the pizza. For every pepperoni she placed on the pizza, she would eat two. These are very special memories that I will never forget.

– Mommy

Dr. Sabrina

I am very fortunate to have spent a great deal of time with Sabrina. I have so many wonderful memories to treasure. There's a particular one that I would like to share with all of you. As you all know Sabrina was a very loving, caring child and she expressed these qualities everyday. Well, one day at my house Sabrina and Marina were playing together. Sabrina came to ask if I had any of my "nursing stuff like a stethoscope". I asked her why she needed it and she replied that they were playing doctor and there was a sick child that needed her attention. So I gave Sabrina my stethoscope, some syringes, some gauzes, some tape, my glucometer, some gloves and off she went with a big smile to Marina's room. A while later, as I was passing through the hallway, I observed them playing. There was Sabrina or I should say Dr. D'Alesio at work caring for this doll that at this time, was bandaged up all over. Sabrina was saying, "don't worry, Marina and I are taking very good care of you". She did indeed, for a while later she called me and said look Ana this doll was in a car accident and Marina and I made her all better. Well the doll was not the only one who got treated that day by Dr D'Alesio because her next patient was Jimmy who needed his appendix to be removed. What a wonderful day we had.

I miss you Sabrina.

– Ana

Magic Finger

Sabrina and Camillo captured our hearts from the very moment we met and taught us so much in just a short period of time. I can still see Sabrina's face at the front window waiting for us to arrive at their house, so happy and full of life, and waiting to check out my shoes. Sabrina would always announce our arrival with a big "It's JOE ASTORINO", she would never say just JOE. For some reason just saying Joe seemed incomplete coming from Sabrina, it had to be JOE ASTORINO (By the way Joe really loved the special way that she pronounced his name.)

As for Camillo, he would always look at me from the corner of his big blue eyes, which would melt my heart. On our first Magog vacation I had to try to get to know him a little better, so I came up with the idea that I had a "magic finger" which would "Buzz" every time he would touch it with his little finger. That caught his attention! He went to touch my other fingers and I told him it was just my index finger that had the magic touch. He also went to see Joe to see if he had a magic finger and under my breath I told Joe not to say anything. Hence, Camillo came to see my "magic finger" to see if it still “buzzed” and that’s how we became friends.

It seemed that after that vacation whenever we saw each other we would point our fingers together knowing that my “magic finger” would perform. As time went on whenever we went to visit them and when it came to leave, Sabrina and Camillo would go to the window to say good-bye, and Camillo would place his little finger on the windowpane and I knew he was looking for my “magic finger”. There was nothing special about my finger, but Sabrina and Camillo were truly magical.

– Cristina and Joe Astorino

Sabrina the Skater

It was a beautiful winter morning and Sabrina and I were getting ready for her first skating experience. We went to Macdonald Park and I explained to her that this was the park where I also learned how to skate when I was her age. She was very impressed that she would learn to skate at the same park I learnt. Hearing this revelation she was very determined to learn how to skate.

As we all know, skating looks a lot easier than it actually is. This is especially so for first time skaters. This obviously did not deter Sabrina. She stepped on the ice rink and within seconds she was on the ice. She picked herself up, took two more steps and pouf on the ice again. My first reaction to this was she was going to hate skating and would want to go back home. Sabrina pleasantly surprised me and continued to skate with determination and a huge smile on her face. Sabrina would giggle with every fall; and, with every fall each laugh would get louder and louder. I was completely amazed because after each fall she would immediately pick herself up and try again. I recall asking her if she was ready to leave and she would say “not yet, daddy.” Sabrina wanted to skate (walk on her skates) the entire length of the rink without falling. True to Sabrina’s spirit she managed to accomplish her goal. That day confirmed what I already knew, that my daughter did everything with a lot of determination and perseverance.

If we allow our children to spread their wings, we can learn a lot from them.

– Daddy

Sabrina and Camillo

To all who knew both Sabrina and Camillo you can’t think of them without a smile. Both have left an impact on my life. I had Sabrina in my class as a toddler. Even though she was 2 ½ years old she was an old soul. She was my little helper. No matter what I did, she was by my side wanting to help. Her smile was contagious and could light up the room. She was beautiful inside and out. When Camillo joined the childcare center, Sabrina became the little mother figure. By the age of three I had him in my class and Sabrina was ready to go to kindergarten. I can’t begin to count the number of times she asked to visit so she could check up on her little brother. How quickly he ran into her arms for a hug. He just lit up!

My favorite pastime was running my fingers through his curls. I used to think that if I had another child I hoped he could have those curls. Well Camillo, my little girl has some curls! Although Camillo was shy, he was one of the most affectionate children. I could not help but want to hug him. He had a quiet sense of humour and was never too far from the carpet area where he surrounded himself with all the vehicles. He could not wait for outdoor play so he could climb aboard the small cars and zoom away.

The willingness to fight this horrible disease astounded me. Both Sabrina and Camillo have taught me never to give up no matter how tough things get. This is something that I will carry with me forever. You will always be in my thoughts and prayers.

– Sara Maiorano
Camillo's daycare teacher

Sabrina - Best Friends

Sabrina and I use to play together a lot. Our favorite thing was to play dress up. We were both dressed up as princesses and we pretended that we went to this ball. We danced a lot at the ball. I miss you very much Sabrina."

– Your best friend,
Marina
(Nine years old)

Camillo - Best Friends

Camillo and me use to play together with our cars. We had a lot of fun together. I remember when we went to Story Land and we went to the nice castle together.

I miss you, your best friend,
John (Six years old)

Camillo

Camillo was a very special boy. He taught me to always hold your head up high, be courageous and to always put humor in any situation.

Camillo loved to make people laugh. During our stay at the hospital, Camillo would always try to cheer up his mother and myself especially on difficult days. One day he put on his underwear on his head as if it were a hat and started laughing. Carm and myself had a good laugh! Camillo amazed us both on just how strong and resilient he was. As much as we tried to keep his spirits up, he was doing the same for us.

– Daddy

Camillo - Pro Driver

When Camillo was first admitted into the hospital back in July of 2002, we tried everything to encourage his recovery. One thing that worked best was our promise to buy him his very own Jeep (Toy Jeep of course) that he would be able to drive. On our first leave from the hospital we purchased his very own Jeep. He was thrilled and he took full ownership of his brand new vehicle.

Within a few hours of driving his Jeep he mastered the Jeep’s two speeds as well as the reverse speed. If anyone wanted to drive the Jeep it would have to be approved by Camillo. Camillo did not have control of his disease but he did have control of his Jeep. Camillo would be the sole driver of the Jeep. When I would ask him to allow his sister to drive the Jeep, he would tell me that she can go on the passenger side but that he would drive. Seeing the joy the Jeep brought him, Sabrina was ok with that. One day Jimmy was over and his car was parked in the driveway next to mine. Camillo was on the street with his Jeep and was ready to park it in the garage. As Camillo started up the driveway Jimmy figured that the Jeep might not fit between the two-parked cars. Jimmy told Camillo that he would help him get through the cars and help him park his car inside. Camillo, very fervently said, “No, I can do it!” Camillo picked up speed and with just a few inches to spare on either side made it through the cars at top speed. He turned around and proudly gave Jimmy a huge smile as if to say, “I told you I would make it through!” Jimmy looked at me; I shrugged and smiled, never doubting Camillo’s capabilities.

– Daddy

Camillo & Cousin

Camillo and I used to play a game called Zoom. He would lie down in my arms and I would start walking or speed walking around whomever house he were in. We would pretend that I was the space ship and he was the astronaut. We used to play the game until my arms got tired. We would then sit on the couch until my arms were able to go for another launch.

– Michael Taddeo
Camillo’s cousin

Sabrina & Cousin

When Sabrina had first gotten her toy doctor set, she always made you lie down on the Couch. Then she would listen to your heart beating with her stethoscope. She would even tell you when to take a deep breath. After she had done that, she would take out her toy needle. She would say "Breath in", and she would poke you with the tip. I always used to pretend that I was in pain to make it realistic. She would then put a band-aid on you and say "good job". After the check up was done she would look for her next patient.

– Michael Taddeo
Sabrina's cousin