Army West Point Athletics
Black Knights Welcome Gio to the Family
January 16, 2017 | Men's Lacrosse
WEST POINT, N.Y. – The Army West Point men's lacrosse family welcomed its newest member on Monday as Giovanni Toribio signed on to be adopted by the Black Knights.
Gio is an energetic 4-year old from Ossining, N.Y., who was recently diagnosed with Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma and was connected with the Black Knights through the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation.
The team welcomed Gio into its team photo on Monday in Foley Athletic Center and then had an official signing in the locker room of the Foley, Enners, Nathe Lacrosse Center. Jaclyn Murphy, the founder of FOJ Foundation, and her father Denis Murphy both spoke about the program and also introduced Gio. His mother, Lauren, told her son's story to the team as they readied for practice.
Head coach Joe Alberici officially welcomed Gio into the lacrosse family with the signing of his letter to become the newest Black Knight. Gio then posed for another team photo and ones with the captains, along with one with Jaclyn Murphy.
"It was an awesome day for the Army lacrosse family having Gio join our squad," Alberici said. "It is going to strengthen their family and we are going to be able to provide support. The other side of it is to see the fighter he is and that is going to strengthen our family as well."
Gio's story started when his noticed he had a swollen eye and took him to the June 24 of last year, the doctor said it looked like a bruise and give it awhile to clear up. The eye began to look better and they thought it was healing, but the bump came back and looked bigger.
Gio's parents took him back to doctor and they sent us to neurosurgeon to take a look and that evening Gio and his brother bumped heads and they took him to the emergency room because his eye become very swollen. The doctor at the ER informed them it was probably just a bruise and they would just do a quick ultrasound to confirm.
After the ultrasound came back and told them "the bone is involved and something isn't right." After multiple cat scans, bone scans, an MRI, and other scans, they were informed Gio would need to do have surgery in order to get a biopsy.
On August 10, the family was told Gio had Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma and he would need to begin chemotherapy immediately because of the aggressive nature of this cancer.
"He is now three chemo treatments in and still the very happy, energetic, and playful kid," his mother Lauren Toribio said. "He is my hero and we thank god every day for making this difficult journey a little easier with such an amazing kid."
The Friends of Jaclyn Foundation began in 2005 when Jaclyn became connected to, and later adopted, as an honorary member of the Northwestern women's lacrosse team. She was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor as a nine-year-old, and was part of the team as Northwestern won the school's first NCAA Championship.
The program was born by her father, after Jaclyn shared her dream to have all of the sick children adopted onto a team of their own So, in 2005, the Murphy Family created the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation.
Jaclyn graduated from Marist College last fall and told her inspirational story to the Black Knights as well.
Gio is an energetic 4-year old from Ossining, N.Y., who was recently diagnosed with Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma and was connected with the Black Knights through the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation.
The team welcomed Gio into its team photo on Monday in Foley Athletic Center and then had an official signing in the locker room of the Foley, Enners, Nathe Lacrosse Center. Jaclyn Murphy, the founder of FOJ Foundation, and her father Denis Murphy both spoke about the program and also introduced Gio. His mother, Lauren, told her son's story to the team as they readied for practice.
Head coach Joe Alberici officially welcomed Gio into the lacrosse family with the signing of his letter to become the newest Black Knight. Gio then posed for another team photo and ones with the captains, along with one with Jaclyn Murphy.
"It was an awesome day for the Army lacrosse family having Gio join our squad," Alberici said. "It is going to strengthen their family and we are going to be able to provide support. The other side of it is to see the fighter he is and that is going to strengthen our family as well."
Gio's story started when his noticed he had a swollen eye and took him to the June 24 of last year, the doctor said it looked like a bruise and give it awhile to clear up. The eye began to look better and they thought it was healing, but the bump came back and looked bigger.
Gio's parents took him back to doctor and they sent us to neurosurgeon to take a look and that evening Gio and his brother bumped heads and they took him to the emergency room because his eye become very swollen. The doctor at the ER informed them it was probably just a bruise and they would just do a quick ultrasound to confirm.
After the ultrasound came back and told them "the bone is involved and something isn't right." After multiple cat scans, bone scans, an MRI, and other scans, they were informed Gio would need to do have surgery in order to get a biopsy.
On August 10, the family was told Gio had Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma and he would need to begin chemotherapy immediately because of the aggressive nature of this cancer.
"He is now three chemo treatments in and still the very happy, energetic, and playful kid," his mother Lauren Toribio said. "He is my hero and we thank god every day for making this difficult journey a little easier with such an amazing kid."
The Friends of Jaclyn Foundation began in 2005 when Jaclyn became connected to, and later adopted, as an honorary member of the Northwestern women's lacrosse team. She was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor as a nine-year-old, and was part of the team as Northwestern won the school's first NCAA Championship.
The program was born by her father, after Jaclyn shared her dream to have all of the sick children adopted onto a team of their own So, in 2005, the Murphy Family created the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation.
Jaclyn graduated from Marist College last fall and told her inspirational story to the Black Knights as well.
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