Pittsfield Fire Makes Terminally Ill 3-Year-Old Honorary Firefighter
The 3-year-old was given a framed plaque recognizing him as a firefighter for life.
"This is something he truly loves. He's always been a fan of the Police and Fire departments. We'd be driving down the street and he'd be wanting to put his window down to wave to them. They've always been so kind to him," his mother, Stephanie Maschino, said.
The toddler fell in October and was taken to the hospital. On Oct. 12, he was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. He was given just six months to live but his cancer has progressed faster than expected. It is only a matter of days now.
On Tuesday, the Fire Department loaded up four engines and two cars and drove the caravan up to the Maschino house with lights and sirens flashing. They were there to make Tony an honorary firefighter for life, even presenting him with his own set of turnout gear.
"It came from everybody. We are like a little family and we all came up with the idea," firefighter Matthew Mazzeo said.
Mazzeo said one of the engines visited the family a few weeks ago and firefighters decided they wanted to do more. They ordered the turnout gear online, brought in some presents — including a "Marshall the Fire Dog" Paw Patrol toy — and a plastic helmet.
A benefit was at the Tavern at the A held over the weekend to raise money for the family and the plan had been to bring Tony to it on the fire truck.
"We wanted him to wear it to the benefit but he wasn't able to [attend]," Mazzeo said.
So on Tuesday, the firefighters brought the gifts and a plaque recognizing him as an honorary firefighter to his home.
Tony was carried into the fire truck where he could turn the sirens on and off. When he was carried out, he kept pointing back at the cab, wanting to stay in the truck a little longer.
"We are really grateful for opportunities like this. It is hard to take him out and about," his mother said.
Maschino said a big challenge is that Tony is cognitively normal but his body is failing, so the family has to find ways to keep him occupied inside the house. He's adapting well to the changes, she said, such as when he lost the ability to walk, he figured out how to still move around the house.
As for Maschino and her husband, Shawn Maschino, they are doing OK right now. A big part of that is because of the overwhelming support from the community.
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The city's newest firefighter got to climb into the fire engine and play with the sirens.
The Pittsfield Police Department also paid a visit to the family two weeks ago to let Tony sit on a motorcycle and presented him with gifts. There have been a number of fundraisers throughout the community — with this past weekend's being the biggest.
"It was packed. It was standing-room only. We weren't expecting that at all," Maschino said. "We felt a lot of love in that room."
Tuesday's visited was organized and driven by the firefighters, which gave Chief Robert Czerwinski a sense of pride in his department.
"I'm honored and proud of these guys today for pulling together for this family. This little boy has suffered a lot. The family has suffered a lot. I'm glad we could be here for them. I'm glad the whole community has been there. There have been fundraisers and things going on in the community to support this family," Czerwinski said.
"It is just a little something we can do to put a smile on their face, brighten up their day, make their day seem a little nicer than all of the bad days they've had ... I couldn't be prouder of a group of guys to have them working for us and working for the city."
And brightening up the day of the Maschino family is exactly what the department accomplished.
"It has been a hard week so far and this has just been a really good way to turn it around," Stephanie Maschino said.
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