Help Tommy's Fight Against Cancer

Thomas (Tommy) Connolly is a super loving, 10 year-old nonverbal severely autistic boy. He brightens every room he walks into with his big smile, contagious laughter, and warm “huggies”. He loves to swim, watch his iPad, and totally adores Mickey Mouse.

Tommy was enrolled in 2nd grade at an amazing school and making amazing progress and overcoming many autism related challenges. He was reading out loud, making eye contact, talking-both repeating and Independently, and socializing. Tommys life took and sudden and drastic turn in May 2022 that no one saw coming.

May 5, 2022 was just like any other night in which Tommy required a round of rough tickles before bed to help relieve him of his sensory needs. That night, his playing came to abrupt stop when suddenly he started screaming at the top of his lungs. This went on for a few minutes until he got up and put himself to bed. The next morning his parents noticed something was not right and brought him to the South Shore Hospital Emergency Room where he had X-rays taken. After a long 13 hours at the hospital, they were discharged without an actual diagnosis and were to told to Boston Childrens Orthopedics Monday morning and they are expecting the call.

Monday morning, his parents learned it wasn’t just orthopedics they were calling, it was an orthopedic oncologist. It was the following day, May 10, 2022 his parents learned Tommy had osteosarcoma, a type or bonecancer, and that he would require 40 weeks of chemotherapy and at least 2 major surgeries. Luckily, the family lives just outside of Boston and has access to the Worlds best care at Dana Farber’s Jimmy Fund Clinic and Boston Children’s Hospital.

Tommys treatment was a long and challenging road - from him suffering every side effect possible, many emergency admissions to BCH, revision surgeries, feeding tube installation. However, his strength, love of life, and resiliency amazed everyone around him. He woke up every day loving life and ready to fight and fight he did. He had completed treatment in late January 2023.

Fast forward to October 2023, after several scans all showing no signs of cancer. His Oncology team, expressed concern with a new nodule but this time in his lungs. In December 2023, Tommy had an open surgery into his lungs in which 5 nodules were removed and 4 were confirmed cancer. TOMMYS OSTEOSARCOMA WAS BACK but this time in his lungs.

January 8, 2024 Tommy had a port installed again and chemotherapy started again. It is also the same time his parents learned that at this point, chemotherapy is in hopes to extend his life while maintaining a good quality of life. To achieve this, Tommy will need more surgeries, more/different chemotherapies, expensive medications, scans, tests, etc.

While insurance will cover many of the expensive medical costs required to treat this awful disease and extend his life, there are an untold amount of out-of-pocket costs. All donations will be used to cover these known (parking, meals, etc...) and unknown out-of-pocket medical expenses that Tommy and his family will endure for years to come.

We truly appreciate your support and promise that 100% of any unused funds will be donated back to the Jimmy Fund or to another deserving family going through a tough time.