Kassidy Terrio still fighting disease

By KEVIN CHIRI

Publisher

LAPLACE — Ron Terrio took a break from the grueling 2006 he has already faced, and watched his little girl on the putting green at Belle Terre Country Club on Monday.

Little Kassidy Terrio, age 6, hardly looked different from many kids. She was laughing, knocking the golf ball around and having a good time at the Riverside Academy annual football fundraising golf tournament.

However, the sparse hair on her head told a different story.

Kassidy Terrio has now become the celebrity of celebrities in the River Parishes, ever since being diagnosed with neuroblastoma cancer less than two months ago.

The result has been an incredible outpouring of love and support from the entire River Region, with fundraisers and words of support that the family can hardly believe.

&#8220It’s just amazing, the hearts of the people around here,” Ron said. &#8220You never want something like this to happen, but there couldn’t be a better place to be than right here to deal with this. It has been unbelievable what people have done for us.”

Ron Terrio works at Monsanto, and has health insurance to cover his family which includes his wife Cindy, and three other daughters. However numerous other expenses facing the family in this situation have arisen.

When Kassidy began having leg pains and limping, and was waking up crying at night, Ron and Cindy knew there was something wrong.

&#8220We made two trips to the emergency room, and finally were sent to other doctors where the diagnosis was made,” he said.

Ever since then, Kassidy has been taking treatment at Children’s Hospital in New Orleans, now with chemotherapy, to try and beat a disease that Ron admitted &#8220does not have a good prognosis. The doctors always give you the most dismal information so you are prepared.”

However, if the reaction by the River Parishes community means anything, the hopes of the family for a &#8220complete and full recovery” certainly seem within reason.

Ever since word got out about the little girl’s problem, people have come from everywhere trying to help.

Local golf courses like Belle Terre have joined with fundraising tournaments there to have special benefits for Kassidy. Just on Friday in the annual Wayne Jones tournament, over $3,000 was raised.

Club manager Tim Duhe said it was the third such event his club helped promote, which has now raised over $6,000. Another event at the Riverside tournament was adding to that total.

There have also been fundraisers all over town, and some estimates have been made that there has been close to $100,000 raised to help the family with the endless extra expenses not covered by insurance.

Ron Terrio said that Kassidy is responding well to treatment, but he still wants the prayers for his little girl to continue since the cancer started in the adrenal glands and could potentially spread to any parts of her body.

&#8220We all still believe that Jesus is going to help her make a full recovery,” he said. &#8220And lately she seems to be doing amazing.”

Donations can still be made to a special account set up at First National Bank USA in LaPlace in the name of &#8220Fundraiser for Kassidy Terrio.”