Family and friends of a man facing down both leukemia and the coronavirus gathered to surprise him with a window visit in Braintree on Memorial Day weekend.
Tony Troiano, 64, was diagnosed with leukemia in early March and began chemotherapy. But he then had to take on the coronavirus, his wife Laurie Troiano said.
“I visited my husband on March 14, that’s the last time I saw him,” Laurie Troiano recalled. “I myself became symptomatic on the 16th, I subsequently tested positive for the virus. My husband tested positive on the 21st and then his symptoms ramped up.”
Tony spent four weeks on a ventilator in a medically-induced coma, while family members could only wait.
“You really just feel powerless… all the credit really just goes to the staff at Brigham and Women’s Hospital,” said son AJ Troiano.
But on Saturday, Tony was well enough to stand at his window and see his family in the parking lot below, waving signs and cheering them on — and he was able to speak to them over FaceTime.
“It’s unbelievable, it’s such a blessing to have a family like this,” Tony said.
“I feel incredibly blessed to see him in this window,” said daughter Kate Neilson. “I just wanted him to be able to meet his grandson and play with his other grandson again, so this is a dream come true.”
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