A grandmother in Cochrane is asking for prayers and support from the community for her six-year-old step-grandson, Matteo, who is currently battling with an aggressive form of bone cancer.
Ciara Ramsden, Matteo’s mamo (Irish for grandmother), explained that little Matteo was only two-and-a-half years old after he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic Leukemia while they were on vacation in British Columbia.
At the time, Ramsden said that Matteo and his parents lived in Calgary. Following his diagnosis, the family were not allowed to return to Alberta and had to spend a few months in B.C. They eventually returned to Alberta where he received treatment for two years, before they moved again to B.C.
“He was treated for Leukemia for two-and-a-half years, so during that time he had hundreds of chemo treatments,” she explained. “He was put under general anaesthetic over 100 times. At one stage, he broke his femur [because] he took a misstep and ended in a body cast from his chest to his toes for three months. He needed lots of blood transfusions as well.”
Upon his remission, Matteo would regularly visit the doctor to get his blood checked. Around a week before her interview with the Eagle, Ramsden said doctors found suspicious cells on a blood smear.
“Before Matteo and his mom even got home from the hospital, they were told to turn around and come straight back because it looked like he was in a relapse,” she said. “[…] Now we know that he has 87 per cent of his bone marrow as Leukemia right now.”
Ramsden describes Matteo as someone who is just like any other little kid.
“He just wants to play and have fun, be with his friends, and he started playing soccer last summer,” she said. “He just recently started skating, and the fact he can do that is incredible. At one stage he was in his body cast, so when he was taken out of the cast, […] he had to learn how to walk again.”
She adds that he loves to be outdoors when he is feeling well and that he is obsessed with dinosaurs.
“He’s super creative because he’s spent a lot of his life not being able to be physically active because he’s been ill,” she said.
Matteo’s parents were only 23-years-old when Matteo was first diagnosed with cancer. Ramsden said it has been very difficult for the family and they are faced with another tough battle ahead of them. Matteo’s mother Ariana will be quitting her job to care for Matteo full-time.
“He really needs his parents by his side right now,” she said.
A GoFundMe was launched which aims to support Matteo’s family, which has already seen over $30,000 in donations. Ramsden said it has been incredible to see so many people rally behind a young family in their time of need.
“It’s really heartwarming for them,” she said. “Just to know that they are not alone in this, and there are people who want to help look after them.”
Looking to the future, Ramsden said that they will learn more about Matteo’s condition and whether or not his body is responding to the new chemotherapy that he is on.
“If he is responding, then I believe that they will move forward with another two-and-a-half years of chemotherapy,” she said. “If he’s not responding in the way that they want to see, then we’ll move to bone marrow transplant, which is the most difficult road to go down.”
Ramsden asks the community to pray for Matteo and their family as they face their uncertain future.
“We need lots of prayers for little Matteo,” she said. “Just good, positive, healthy energy. It’s just the power of people thinking and rooting for Matteo in their thoughts. It’s not just about fundraising money and awareness; it’s just elevating the energy all around for his recovery.”
For anyone looking to support Matteo, they can do so by visiting gofund.me/0e1e34e3.