Leo's Story

Leo Facchiano was born January 14, 2022 in the Special Delivery Unit at CHOP (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia). His family had become somewhat familiar with the campus through prenatal heart screenings, but the journey that followed was anything but familiar or expected. Within 48 hours of being born, Leo went through his first surgery to receive a pacemaker. Within a week, he was getting what his family thought would be his first (of many) surgeries to repair his Common AV Canal Defect. 

Through the next two months, Mom and Dad spent weeks at the Ronald McDonald House of Philadelphia while they balanced work and care for their older son Jaxon, and Leo. We tried to hold on to hope and celebrated any little victory our little lion man accomplished in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. Hours turned to days, days turned to weeks, and eventually Leo’s prolonged hospitalization had the feeling of a casino - where you lose sense of time, or when you, as a parent, forget to take time to grab a meal or even a cup of coffee. You also begin to realize that you are surrounded by families with similar stories and experiences going through this unfathomable amount of adversity. 

In the weeks thereafter, Leo’s heart defects and other complications from his Trisomy 21 diagnosis were insurmountable, and he passed away in the loving arms of Mom and Dad on March 19, 2022. 

There is no possible way to imagine or even process the idea of planning a funeral for your infant son, explaining to their sibling that their baby brother will not be coming home to the nursery you set up, or how you can ever feel a sense of normalcy knowing for the rest of your lives there will be a piece of you missing that will never be returned.

While our families tragedy is sadly a result that other families go through, we cannot understate how vital it was that CHOP/Philadelphia was only 45 minutes from home, that we had family to take care of our older son, and that employer’s provided excellent healthcare coverage for us & the bi- weekly paychecks continual. There were so many families who did not have these same support factors in place. 

This is why an organization like Rocky’s House is so important and necessary. Parents should just be able to devote their time and emotions towards the care of their child, not worry about the mortgage/rent; bills, food, or if they can find a hotel that’s close enough to the hospital (needed in case an emergency call comes in to rush to their child’s bedside). While the circumstances could not have been worse, it was a privilege to have Leo and R.J. “Rocky” Lynn be roommates.