Fundraiser set for sick babys family at Oak Lawn VFW

By Frank Vaisvilas Correspondent September 17, 2014 5:06PM

The Lucchese family, including (pictured left to right) mother, Courtney, 2-year-old Anika, 1-year-old Vinnie and father Giuseppe. | Supplied photo

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Updated: September 18, 2014 2:20AM

A fundraiser to benefit a Rockford family whose baby boy was born with a rare combination of three congenital heart defects will be held at the Veterans of Foreign Wars hall in Oak Lawn, 9514 S. 52 Ave., on Sunday.

The event is being organized in part by Brian Bleakley, who met the family while they were all staying at the Ronald McDonald House in Oak Lawn, which provides lodging for families whose children are undergoing treatment at Advocate Childrens Hospital.

Bleakleys sons were born premature, and he said the Lucchese family had been welcoming and kind to his family even though their son, Vincent, had been undergoing several open heart surgeries.

Bleakley said he saw how heavily burdened the family was financially with expenses adding up, such as gas money to travel between Rockford and Oak Lawn and cellphone bills.

Still worse, Vincents father, Giuseppe Lucchese, recently had lost his job because of the days he missed caring for his son.

It just kind of tugged on our hearts that they didnt have the resources to keep them together, Bleakley said. These are really good people.

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Fundraiser set for sick babys family at Oak Lawn VFW