July 14, 2006

Middleton is "cut above the rest" for MGHC patient

For Ron and Kim Supino, of Middleton, Mass., their son's battle against cancer became the town's mission to help one of their own. Last month 7-year-old MassGeneral Hospital for Children (MGHC) patient Jack Supino was told that his stomachaches were caused by a form of cancer called neuroblastoma. Although he was strong in the face of this news, his immediate concern was that he would lose his hair, since he had had a classmate who had lost his hair from chemotherapy treatments.

In a major show of support for the young boy, the town of Middleton held a four-day "shave-a-thon." Twenty hairdressers converged at the local school expecting a few dozen supporters to show up and have their hair cut. To everyone's surprise, more than 1,000 people, including Jack's friends and classmates, turned up to have their heads shaved to show Jack that he was not alone and to make him feel better. The event raised more than $13,000.



Jack, right, celebrates his birthday with his friends at the MGHC.

Among the many who showed up to support Jack was a contingent from the Middleton Police Department and former and current employees of the family-owned Supino's restaurant in Danvers. The good news is that the cancer, which affects infants and children under 10, is treatable and curable.

Jack recently celebrated his eighth birthday at the MGHC and began the first of five rounds of chemotherapy. When he saw photos of all of his shaved supporters, he smiled and laughed. Upon his arrival back home, Jack, who still had most of his hair, was freshly buzzed to join his many new friends.