Make-a-Wish visitor Scott Delgadillo passes away before transplant
By TIM CASEY
News Writer
Scott Delgadillo, the 14-year-old San Diego native who spoke at the Purdue pep rally, died at 9:10 Monday night in his home after a 12-month battle with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
A vigil mass will be celebrated on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. in California. Also, a special memorial mass will be said for Delgadillo at Notre Dame's Basilica of the Sacred Heart early next week.
"You've never met a more amazing, personable young man," said Alex Montoya, a 1996 Notre Dame graduate and the young alumni coordinator in San Diego. "You could tell he was a warm, caring guy but the thing that amazed me was he was the sharpest kid you could ever meet. He was Notre Dame material all the way."
Delgadillo was scheduled to fly to Massachusetts on Dec. 26 to undergo a bone marrow transplant from his 16-year-old brother, Eric, at Boston Children's Hospital's Dana Farber Cancer Institute. But his leukemia relapsed on Christmas Day and Scott was rushed to San Diego Children's Hospital.
Delgadillo's trip to Boston was cancelled and he spent nearly the next month in the San Diego hospital. He received another round of chemotherapy but the treatment did not work.
Around Jan. 22, according to Notre Dame public relations administrative assistant Jennifer Laiber, Scott's doctors told the family he had "two days to two months to live." He spent the final days of his life in his home with his mother Carmen, father Henry and Eric.
Joey Getherall, a Notre Dame senior football player, spoke with Scott last week on the telephone.
"You could hear how much energy he had (on the phone)," Getherall said on Tuesday. "He never complained once. Ever. There's not too many out there like him."
"I can't even fathom what Scott's parents are going through. My prayers and heart are all towards the family."
As part of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Scott and his family came to campus from Sept. 13-17. He was given a campus tour, visited the College Football Hall of Fame, received four tickets and two pre-game field passes for the Notre Dame-Purdue game and met with two of the most influential people on campus: University President Rev. Edward Malloy and head football coach Bob Davie.
During their meeting, Davie asked Delgadillo if he wanted to speak at that night's pep rally. To Davie's surprise, Delgadillo said "yes."
"I was nervous at first but for some reason it just disappeared," Scott told the San Diego Union-Tribune in November. "I looked all around and saw Rudy. I looked at the players, at the cheerleaders and the band. I kind of took a deep breath and started speaking."
His talk inspired many people in the Notre Dame community. After his memorable speech, alumni, students, faculty and the local community (both in South Bend and San Diego) wrote letters and e-mails and provided Scott with gifts and memorabilia.
By October, 80 percent of the leukemia had resurfaced but as of Nov. 14, it had been reduced to 16 percent. Also in November, the San Diego-area Red Cross held several blood and marrow drives for Delgadillo.
Delgadillo remained in fair condition and attended the Notre Dame-Southern California football game on Nov. 25. He spoke at a breakfast the next morning and then headed back to San Diego. As of Nov. 30, the leukemia had gone into remission. Eric, Scott's brother, was not a perfect match but the doctors in Boston intended to "treat his (Eric's) donated marrow to try to eliminate complications of a mismatched transplant," according to a Dec. 23 news release by the Sand Diego Blood Bank. Two days later, the leukemia returned and Scott went back to the San Diego Children's Hospital.
Delgadillo's leukemia was first diagnosed on Jan. 20, 2000. Shortly after, the Make-A-Wish Foundation members asked Scott what he wanted for his wish.
"Guaranteed admission to Notre Dame," Scott told them, according to the Union-Tribune.
All News Stories for Wednesday, January 31, 2001
