Hi, my name is Jasmine, and I am friend of Chelsea and the Vito family. Chelsea and I connected on a local mom group and bonded over the incredible responsibility of being oncology mamas. Having lived through this fight myself, I wanted to start this gofundme to ease the financial burden on their family. I hope this fundraiser can ease this massive stress on Chelsea and Mervin as they navigate this challenging journey with their precious children, Mighty Dominic and his incredible big sister, Maggie. Here is a bit of Dominic's story..

On April 28, 2025, 2 year old Dominic had a routine eye examination to update his prescription. In an instant, his and their entire family's world changed when they were urgently rushed to BC Children's Hospital. When they arrived, they were shown images of Dominic's eyes, and he was immediately diagnosed with a rare cancer in both eyes. Dominic's official diagnosis is Bilateral Retinoblastoma. His right eye has a larger tumor and is considered high risk. The tumor in his left eye is smaller and classified as moderate risk. The lives of the Vito family were immediately turned upside down as now instead of continuing their usual family life at home, they were thrown into a world of specialists, treatment plans, hospital rooms, MRIs, medication protocols and a life that looks far different than any parent could ever want to imagine.

Treatment moved very fast. Dominic went into surgery to receive a port in his chest for medication access. He then began a chemotherapy cycle. Dominic continues to receive systemic chemotherapy every 4 weeks, with blood work and eye exams under anesthesia to monitor the effect of treatment. So far his right eye has been responding well to chemo. However, his left eye is not responding as well as his oncologist hoped. Currently, Dominic and family are waiting the results of his next sedated eye exam to determine the treatment plan going forward. There are a lot of unknowns and this is difficult for his entire family.

Despite the impact of treatment on Dominic, he continues to be an absolute ray of sunshine to his family, friends and medical staff. He has a love for cars, dancing and singing. He brings joy to everyone he meets.

Prior to Dominic's cancer diagnosis, his big sister, Maggie was diagnosed with autism. This brought a lot of extra care needs for her and Chelsea (mom) had to take time off work to take her to appointments, early pick up at school and make sure she was getting the care she needed to thrive. On top of Dominic's care, Chelsea is now having to also homeschool Maggie due to her support needs not being met at school. Now with both kids needing extra care, Chelsea has had to cut back even further at work. She has not been able to work fulltime for over 2 years. This has a big financial impact on their family. Mervin also has to miss work regularly to attend important appointments for Dominic's care. When a child is sick or struggling, the best medicine is to be together. Let's help make this possible for the Vito family.

Donations from this fundraiser will be used to support any living costs for the Vito family as Dominic fights for his life. Costs include things like: occasional care for Maggie when both parents need to be Dominic's follow ups, gas to get to appointments, snacks/meals while in hospital (the hospital does not provide food for caregivers), medications/supplies Dominic will need that are not covered by insurance, co-pays for such items, anything at all that the family may need during this stressful time.

Dominic, super sister Maggie and his loving parents deserve our care and support. Please consider giving what you are able, sharing this page and sending all the warm thoughts, prayers and care their way.