Montrealer raising funds in honour of late mother nominated for ‘Visionary of the Year’

Anthony Pacella was just 15 years old when he lost his mother to stage four lung cancer.

That was 13 years ago, but Pacella says it still feels like yesterday.

“And for me, maybe it was because I wrote my mom a letter,” Pacella said. “And in the letter, I told her, I promised her that for the rest of my life, I’ll be living in her legacy.”

It’s a promise he’s been keeping since 2011 when Maria Melillo Pacella passed away.

“Her real diagnosis was August of 2010. It was a quick thing because by January of 2011, she passed away. And she was 51 years old,” Anthony Pacella said.

Her son has since dedicated himself to fundraising to help fight the disease, driven by the memory of his mother and the desire to make a real difference in the lives of others. He’s raised more than $200,000 for the StrikeOut Cancer Fund, granting nine wishes to children battling cancer.

This year the 28-year-old Montrealer has set himself a goal that’s more ambitious than previous editions.

“I actually have a goal of $50,000,” he said. “And what’s cool about it is it’s a fundraising competition; I have to raise that $50,000 in 10 weeks. So it started on March 21 and it (ends) on May 30.”

That 10-week journey is part of the “Visionaries of the Year” campaign of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada (LLSC).

“We look for leaders and visionary people in our community,” said Samantha Di Lullo, the fund development lead at the LLSC. “It’s a campaign that’s run across the country. Our goal is really to raise as much money as possible for the blood cancer community and for our mission at LLSC, which is basically trying to fund blood cancer research and find a cure in our lifetime, support patients and their families as well as advocating for Canadians across the country.”

Pacella is an inspiration for his own father, who says he is “very proud of him.”

“He wants to help,” Angelo Pacella said. “He puts everything aside. He comes home, there’s nights he didn’t even sleep to prepare things for the next morning.

“I’m sure she’s looking upon him and upon them and he kept his words. That’s the most important thing.”

To support the StrikeOut Cancer Fund, anybody can participate in one of the many events organized by Pacella or by making a donation.

People can also simply be there for others, Anthony Pacella says.

“There is hope, and there is support,” he said. “And I feel like that’s exactly what I want to bring to other families. And I think that’s why I always love fundraising. It was just to spread that hope to other people. There is light at the end of the day.”

It’s a lesson he got from his mother.

“My mom, even when she was sick… she always wanted to show people that you never give up in life. Always be perseverant, always be determined, have goals, have ambitions.”