Local church donates to fire captain son’s chemotherapy treatment

A local church rallying around a 6-year-old boy battling cancer was able to raise $2,000 for the family to use toward his treatment.

North County Fire Department captain Chris Mattarollo has been with North County Fire since 1999 and has served as fire captain for three years. Since July, Mattarollo has served as captain for the Rainbow station, which is run by volunteer firefighters.

Mattarollo and wife Tina have two sons, Kash, a 9-year-old, and Cai, a 6-year-old. At the beginning of the year, Cai was diagnosed with acute B lymphoblastic leukemia.

“Cai is being treated at Rady Children’s Hospital,” said Mattarollo. “He was diagnosed on March 19, and we are in the fourth of six phases of chemo, called delayed intensification. It’s a pretty touch phase. He’s getting multiple doses of chemo, in addition to other medicines at home on a daily basis. The side effects are leg pain, and his hair is falling out at an increased rate than before. It’s very real to see someone with those side effects, which we correlate to what we think cancer is.”

While Cai’s prognosis is positive, he has been and will continue to undergo chemotherapy for the next three and a half years, including intermittent hospital stays.

The Fallbrook Apostolic Assembly House of Prayer church received word about the Mattarollo family and several members coordinated a breakfast fundraiser to help the family.

“The wife of one of the guys I work with, Dennis Soriano, works with Desiree Cueva, a member of the church, and she took it upon herself to put something together,” said Mattarollo. “They did this without ever meeting us. It was an outpouring of community. I’m usually on the other end of serving the public in my job or as part of the firefighter association, so this was a pretty humbling experience.”

“Firefighters are servants to the community, and we wanted to give back,” said House of Prayer pastor Rudy Verdin. “They give selflessly at the drop of a dime, and we saw this as an opportunity for our members to be a blessing. We can’t help everyone, but this opportunity came to us, and we felt we could help them in time of need.”

On July 30, the church offered the community two different breakfast options: a Mexican breakfast of menudo, or an American breakfast of pancakes, hash browns, eggs, and ham. All profits went to the family.

“We were able to get a great profit because of our donations,” said Verdin. “The community rallied behind the event: Albertsons donated $100, Major Market donated $100, Northgate donated tortillas and water, El Toro Market donated milk and eggs, and Camp Pendleton donated bacon. We also had several cash donations.”

More than 20 church volunteers helped prepare the breakfast, and North County Fire explorers also came early that morning to help with cooking and prep.

Several engine crews also came out for breakfast while on duty, with some giving more than the requested donation amount for breakfast.

“They came to support their fellow fireman,” said Verdin.

“I understand that firefighters have a special bond, and we have a special organization to help assist each other,” said Mattarollo. “But the way the church reached out because firefighters are those who serve was extremely impactful. That’s what makes Fallbrook great. We might be growing, but Fallbrook still holds onto its roots where people care about their community and those who serve that community.”

Initially, the Mattarollos did not want to ask for help. Insurance was paying for the majority of Cai’s treatment, but because of the distance to the hospital, in addition to the cut in work for both parents, the additional help and support was needed.

The Vista and Oceanside Firefighter associations were some of the first groups to help raise funds for the family with a golf tournament and a brew off.

“I had exhausted all of my sick leave reserves to take care of a paycheck when I was off for two and a half months [for Cai’s treatment],” said Mattarollo. “Some North County firefighters donated hours to refill that account so if I need any more days, that will be taken care of. People have been bringing over meals and mowing my grass, or cutting down the weeds.”

All funds donated will be used for integrative medicine and treatments not covered by insurance to boost Cai’s physical, emotional and mental wellbeing during chemo. It will also supplement the family’s income so Tina can be home with Cai to give him full time care for his necessary medical treatments and education, as he is unable to return to school.

“After what the Vista, Oceanside and Fallbrook fire associations and church have done, we will be good [financially],” said Mattarollo. “We have a three-and-a-half-year-long battle, and technically Cai is not cleared until he is 21, but we are good. The support is there. I have phone numbers of many people I can call. I wish I could write thank you notes for everyone; I just want to make sure people know that it’s appreciated. It’s humbling, and it has impacted us in an amazing way.”

The Mattarollos hope to have Cai back at school by November. If any donated money is left over, Mattarollo plans to give it back to research or organizations that had donated.

“There are people in worse situations than we are at this moment, and I think of them every single day,” said Mattarollo. “This has really made a difference for us, and not just on the monetary side. People really care for us. Their thoughts and prayer are real. Knowing other people are out there and have your back is an important concept in life. We are not in this alone.”