Clear to partly cloudy. Low 47F. Winds light and variable..
Clear to partly cloudy. Low 47F. Winds light and variable.
In August, Peabody High School senior Mikey Mastrocola, a captain on the Tanners’ Football team, was diagnosed with Leukemia and will miss this entire season. The WHS Touchdown Boosters Club and players, sent a gift basket to Mastrocola last week, which included a football signed by all of the players and many other things to help MIkey during this difficult time. His head coach Mark Bettencourt delivered the basket to Mikey at the Boston Children’s Hospital and as you can tell by his smile, this certainly meant a lot to Mikey and his family.
In August, Peabody High School senior Mikey Mastrocola, a captain on the Tanners’ Football team, was diagnosed with Leukemia and will miss this entire season. The WHS Touchdown Boosters Club and players, sent a gift basket to Mastrocola last week, which included a football signed by all of the players and many other things to help MIkey during this difficult time. His head coach Mark Bettencourt delivered the basket to Mikey at the Boston Children’s Hospital and as you can tell by his smile, this certainly meant a lot to Mikey and his family.
PEABODY/WILMINGTON – The Wilmington High School Football team may be off to a winless start, but they are certainly winners in the hearts of one Peabody High School Football player and his family.
Back in August, Mikey Mastrocola, a senior captain at Peabody, was diagnosed with B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Matt Williams, the Assistant Sports Editor at the Salem News, wrote a story on August 17th about Mastrocola's news and explained that this form of Leukemia, “is a blood and bone marrow condition that’s one of the most common childhood cancers in the world and is considered very treatable. (Mastrocola) will be spending the next month at Boston Children’s Hospital receiving in-patient treatments and will then continue his treatments on an out-patient basis after that.”
Shanna Sands, the mother of WHS football player Hunter, is also the new Vice President of the WHS Touchdown Club. She came across the story that Williams wrote and wanted to do something.
“When I took on the (Vice President) position, it was important to me that the focus was on our players having a great season, but also making sure that we are looking out for the boys on and off the field,” she explained. “Not every athlete in Wilmington comes from the same economic or family background and they don't all have the same opportunities, so I wanted to make sure we were looking out for those that needed a little bit more support. When I was scrolling through social media, I saw the article on Mikey. I felt like he could have been any one of our players and that he should feel the support of the entire football community. I touched base with (Touchdown Club President) Tina Chirichiello and the other Boosters Board Members and we agreed that it was a cause we wanted the Wilmington boys to support.”
Sands then took a trip to one of the Wilmington practices. She explained Mikey's story and immediately the players on the team wanted to help.
“We asked them all to sign a football I provided with well wishes and explained we would be putting together a basket for Mikey (as well),” Sands said. “They lined up and started signing and took the ball into the locker room to get the rest of the team to sign. The boys were definitely taken aback hearing that another Massachusetts teen's season was sidelined by a cancer diagnosis and they were all eager to send their get well wishes.”
With the ball signed by all of the members of the team, Sands and some helpers then put together a basket for Mastrocola.
“The basket was meant to be comfort themed. It contained the team signed football, a fleece blanket my son and I handmade that had a football pattern,” explained Sands. “(There was also) a stainless steel water bottle with a football design. We thought the blanket and water bottle were things Mikey could use during his treatments and remind him that the football community was behind him. (The basket) also contained a variety of gift cards for different teenage favorite restaurants, since the next thing I know to make a football player smile, is food. A few Wildcat swag items and a note from the team (were also included).”
With the basket full of all of those heartwarming gifts, Sands then approached Coach Craig Turner to see if he could make the special delivery.
“Coach Turner is waiting on his own special delivery of his new baby, so with his permission, I made arrangements to meet with the Peabody team to deliver the basket,” said Sands. “I was assuming I would drop it off to the Peabody Boosters, but I was asked to reach out to Coach (Mark) Bettencourt himself and we met up late last week. He shared some stories about Mikey as a player and a captain. Mikey truly is a special kid who deserves all the support we as a community can send his way.”
While Coach Turner has his hands full – or about to be full literally any day or hour with his second child – he responded to a text Monday night with his thoughts on the connection Wilmington Football has made with Peabody Football.
“Football and in particular football in Massachusetts, is a really tight knit community. When you hear a story like Mikey's, it just breaks your heart. When a young man like him, who puts in all of the work he did, and did everything right, is dealt a hand like he was, you can't help but have your heart break for him,” said Turner. “But it's important to know that we're thinking of him and have his back in this battle that he's going through.
“I can't thank Mrs. Sands and the Touchdown Club enough for bringing this to my attention and organizing it all. I'm very proud of our kids for embracing it and understanding the battle Mikey has in front of him and supporting him through this difficult time.”
Mikey Mastrocola is a National Honor Society member and was slated to be one of the Tanners' top defensive players this season.
“He’s a kid who spent three years paying his dues, earning his job and earning the respect of his teammates and the whole school,” said Bettencourt to the Salem News. “He’s an incredible leader. To see his season taken away like this is heart wrenching ... we’re all going to do everything we can to get him healthy.”
Mikey is one of four children to Michael and Stephanie, including sisters McKayla and MyKenna, as well as younger brother Matt, who is a sophomore and also a member of the football team.
“The support has been amazing. Peabody is an incredible place and Mikey has so many good friends that have been so supportive,” said Stephanie Mastrocola, to the Salem News. “We’re hearing from our friends in Everett, people from so many different schools and all over the city. Football is a special sport and builds an amazing community.”
As soon as the news broke out about Mikey's Leukemia, his teammates from both Peabody High and from his youth football days, mainly Carson Browne, a running back on the St. John's Prep team and his family, started a 'GoFundMe' page. The goal was set for 25K and after three days it surpassed that amount with nearly 400 people donating to the cause. As of Tuesday afternoon, the donations were just under 40K.
“It breaks your heart and you wish it wasn’t happening,” Bettencourt said to the Salem News, “yet to see our kids rally around both Mikey and Matt? As a coach, that means all the things we’ve been teaching about life are getting through.”
According to the Salem News' story, Mastrocola wasn't feeling right in the beginning of August and had “a persistent sore throat. Tests for various ailments like strep, COVID-19 and mono came up empty. Some blood work revealed the need for more testing. Quickly, doctors found the Leukemia and treatment began almost immediately.”
“It was a very quick thing ... within a week it was like, ‘Bring him in here and let’s get this started right now’,” Stephanie said to the Salem News. “We’re here in Boston and he’s doing OK. He’s up and moving around and everyone at school has been great as far as school work and making sure he’ll graduate and all that. He’s in the best of hands and he’s getting the absolute best care possible.”
Part of that care was an incredibly thoughtful Gift Basket he received from the WHS Football Program. On Sunday night, Matt Williams tweeted out a picture of Mikey holding the basket, while sporting a big smile on this face.
“Mikey and his family have been overwhelmed by the support and prayers that have come from our community here in Peabody,” said Bettencourt to the Crier on Tuesday afternoon. “However, the amazing part has been the support that has come from outside of our community, including donations from Revere High School Football and Masconomet High School Football. Winthrop High School Football donated their 50-50 raffle proceeds to Mikey.
“And most recently a donation basket from the Wilmington High School Football program. When I delivered the basket to Mikey, the first thing he said was, 'we don't even play Wilmington, do we Coach'? I responded with no, and that shows you how many people want you to win this battle. I could see it in his smile as he looked through the basket and read all of the names of the Wilmington Football players that were written on a football. He didn't know any of these players, but they all knew what he is going through. And they wanted him to know that they were thinking about him and praying that he would have a full recovery and never give up.
“High School Football in Massachusetts is more than just a sport. It is a brotherhood that has no boundaries. And Mikey is thankful to have the support of ALL his teammates, not just the players from Peabody High School,” concluded Bettencourt.
If you would like to donate to the Mastrocola Family, please visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/mikeys-battle-to-beat-cancer
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