PEABODY — A recent diagnosis has flipped the city upside down. Mikey Mastrocola, Peabody High School football captain, was diagnosed with Leukemia.
“About two weeks ago he said he wasn’t feeling well with a sore throat and all so I took him to the doctors. They ran tests for strep throat, COVID-19, and mono but they all came back negative,” said Mikey’s mother Stephanie Mastrocola. “I asked them to run some blood work which came back not good and I was told to take him to Children’s (General Hospital).”
Mikey was then diagnosed with Leukemia and has been in the hospital since then. “He’ll be at inpatient chemo for a month before going to the Jimmy Fund for two years,” said Stephanie. “It’s going to be a long road but hopefully we can get him back on his feet again.”
The effects of the diagnosis are also being felt across the football team.
“Mikey is a great, wonderful kid. We’re trying to turn the negative into positives and we’re trying to use this as a way to motivate the team,” said Peabody High School Football Coach Mark Bettencourt. “We talk to him every day and hope that good news keeps coming. It’s really touched all of us. Mikey is one of our leaders with his work ethic, personality, and character. He’s a major, major loss to our team.”
The support the family has received from the community is incredible. And GoFundMe has raised well over the goal with the hopes that it will continue to rise.
“The support has been amazing, with all the phone calls and text messages. As well as always being asked ‘what can we do?’ and ‘how can we help?’ which we are so thankful for,” said Stephanie. “We live in the best community. Everyone has been amazing. I am truly thankful for everything that everyone has done and for the support that they have given.”
“His number will be on all of our helmets and we’re going to do everything we can to help him battle through this,” said Bettencourt. “The GoFundMe has been a blessing.”
Mikey and the team have hopes of him being able to be at one game this season.
Maddi Filip can be reached at [email protected].
