Emilio Petriella’s Cancer Care

Emilio graduated Cosmetology school May of 2019 and started out his journey by moving to Oregon,where he also earned his Cosmetology License shortly after his move. He has traveled even more since and has seen much of the world.

Kreig and Emilio were currently living in China for a two year expat when Covid hit, causing them to return to the U.S., leaving them living in a hotel in Oregon for four months.

Shortly after settling  into the Oregon hotel, he decided to get what he thought was a cyst taken care of.  A week later he had to have surgery to remove it because it was unable to be removed in the medical office. 

Shortly after, luck would have it that they were approved by Kreig’s company to come back to Ohio to live a little more normal life surrounded with family and friends, until Covid allows Kreig and Emilio to return to their home in China.

About two weeks later, Emilio would get the worst news he could imagine. The surgeon said he had CIC Rearrangement Sarcoma,  a very rare and highly aggressive cancer.  Then, just three days later he lost his grandma. Our entire world was shook.

After yet another surgery and lots of scans, he is now doing several rounds of chemo. During this entire time of moving to China, repatriating back to the U.S during COVID, and now with chemotherapy treatments, Emilio has been unable to work. He has health coverage but it doesn’t cover everything. He can’t see anyone, leave the house, or even be in the sun for the next 12 weeks due to a suppressed immune system and symptoms from his treatments.

I’ve held him while we cried, processing all that this year has thrown at us. His family and Kreig have been taking care of him while he is sick or in pain and recovering from each treatment. 

His dad took FMLA to help care for Emilio to give Kreig some extra support with all the appointments. We are asking to help him along this long journey. It’s not going to be an easy one, but it’s a blessing he is home for support. He will get through this and be stronger because of it.