Norwalk community shows up to help father in need of a bone marrow, stem cell match

A father is searching for a bone marrow or a blood stem cell match after his rounds of chemotherapy stopped his body’s ability to produce any more.

News 12 Staff

Sep 12, 2021, 5:07 PM

Updated 1,095 days ago

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A father is searching for a bone marrow or a blood stem cell match after his rounds of chemotherapy stopped his body’s ability to produce any more.
“If I don’t find a match, I’m not going to live longer,” says 54-year-old Tony Cappuccia.
He has partnered with Be the Match to help and the Norwalk community has joined the hunt.
Jess Pacheco, from Be the Match, says because Cappuccia’s “blood is no longer creating what it needs, it pretty much needs to be replaced.”
A cheek swab drive was held at St. Ann’s to try and find a potential match.
People like Melissa Melfi, a deli cashier, came out to see if they are a match.
“He has a family he still needs to provide for,” says Melfi. “He’s a great guy. I don’t want to see him go yet.”
Cappuccia says he will do whatever he can to get a match. The name for the drive is Beat it for Bella after his 13-year-old daughter.
"She's the reason I'm fighting to stay here," says Cappuccia. "I want to walk down the aisle. I want a grandkid."
Cappuccia says he is determined to stay.
“I”m not going anywhere,” he says. “If I’m gonna go, I’m gonna go out fighting.”