The unwanted battle against leukemia has been part of our lives. It started with our beloved grandmother, Anna Mogentale, whom we always carry in our hearts. She was a beautiful, bold and tender woman who loved her children and grandchildren with all of her life and was completely devoted to her family. She taught us by example to love bravely, no matter what situation we faced. She was the ideal grandmother that everyone dreams of. Unfortunately, after suffering a long, hard fight, leukemia claimed her, she could not fight anymore. Losing our Nonna Anna was our first true heart break.
Our fight did not stop there. Leukemia snuck back into our lives when we discovered that our father, Claudio Basciano, received the same Leukemia diagnosis. Those who knew Claudio knew that he was our humble giant. His sense of humor was our coat of armor; he was always ready shine comedic relief in those dark times. Our dad would not hurt a fly, no matter what was thrown at him. He fought against leukemia not only to survive to keep our family together, but he also wanted to help find a cure to help others; his genuine altruistic nature always placed other’s happiness above his own. He kept our family bound together. Tragically, our hearts broke once again when he passed away on December 8th, 2011, and our lives had changed forever.
Despite having lost two significant family members, our mother, Paola Basciano, courageously continues to fight against leukemia to spare heartache to other families. Every year for the past 6 years, our mother has participated in Energy Fitbox’s Kickbox Marathon, and this year is no exception. On March 4, 2018, Paola is, once again, participating in this charity event to support Leading Edge Leukemia Research. She will kickbox for 6 hours to honour the memories of Anna and Claudio and raise money for the worthy cause. Our family would never wish this pain on anyone and we pray a cure for leukemia is found; this would make our father and grandmother proud from above.
We are asking for your support of this worthy cause. Please donate what you can into this fundraiser and come visit Paola on this day to show your support — your help makes all the difference!
Thank you for taking the time to read our story. We have so much unconditional love for our friends and family and we are forever grateful for the continued love and support we have received throughout the years! Thank you!
With love, The Basciano Family xox