Holtsville Boy Recognized By Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

Eight-year-old Matthew James Abbatiello is like any other little boy. You can often find Matthew outdoors playing, riding his bike, scooter or skateboard or indoors building with Legos or playing video games. However, what makes Matthew, who his mother calls “a little prankster,” unlike many other little boys is his courageous battle with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). 

Matthew is especially high risk because he also has a related chromosomal rearrangement known as Mixed Lineage Leukemia (MLL) which required him to have a bone marrow transplant in February of 2011. It was fortunate for Matthew that his sister, Nicole, now 12 years old, was the only match – a perfect 10 out of 10. In reflecting on finding a match right in the family, his parents, Debbie and Glenn Abbatiello said, “We were the lucky ones of the unlucky ones.”

That attitude – being grateful for what has been positive in Matthew’s difficult battle with ALL/MLL – is in part, what made the Long Island Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society select Matthew as its “Boy of the Year” for the 2012 “Man & Woman of the Year Campaign.” The campaign is one of the organization’s most important annual fundraisers.

Through the campaign, candidates for “Man & Woman of the Year” commit to generating a minimum of $20,000 over a 10-week period. To keep the competition exciting, competitors do not know how much money their fellow candidates are raising until the gala event at the end of the campaign. The highest fundraisers are awarded the titles of “Man of the Year” and “Woman of the Year.”

For Matthew, who just came off his treatment, which included total body radiation and intensive chemotherapy, being named “Boy of the Year” seems completely appropriate. According to Debbie, “Matthew has had a rough go of it.  Initially, when he was first diagnosed, there was only one case of MLL at Stony Brook Hospital and just 35 kids at St. Jude’s Hospital over a 20-year period.” 

He ultimately received his bone marrow transplant and treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering where he stayed in the Pediatric Oncology wing. Today, he must have monthly blood counts taken. He has not received his latest childhood immunizations, as he waits for his immune system’s strength to build up. In February, he will have a lumbar puncture test and a bone marrow biopsy performed. In the meantime, the Abbatiello family will continue to fight the battle against blood cancers both for Matthew and all other families affected.

“We know firsthand just what it means to a family when a member is diagnosed with leukemia,” said Debbie, who along with her husband, Glenn, has been on the frontline in the battle from the start. 

“Not only were we frightened for Matthew, but also for our daughter, his bone marrow donor,” continued Debbie. “Because of her age, she had to be put to sleep to have the bone marrow withdrawn from her hip. Our other children too - Courtney, 14; Nicholas, 9; and Lauren, 6 – were being affected. My husband and I took turns being at the hospital with Matthew and at home. As a mother, I felt awful when I could not be with my other children to comfort them during this period.” 

But, the experience has left the family stronger and even more compassionate than before. Courtney reached out to her school suggesting that they consider acknowledging childhood cancer awareness month, which is in September and, she wants to be a doctor. Nicole spoke in front of her class about the experience of being a bone marrow donor and urged them to sign up in the Bone Marrow Registry.

The rest of the family members also have become ambassadors for the cause, participating in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s “Light the Night” walks for the past two years. Serving as the “Boy of the Year” will be Matthew’s way of further doing his part. And, his mother says she believes, the role has made Matthew feel as though he has a little control over leukemia.