When Susan and Marisa made a home in Alpha Phi, they never imagined one of them would have a son whose health would one day bond them together more deeply than before. by Gina Henke WHEN SUSAN PAGE DAILY (THETA Theta-St. Joseph’s) was initiated into Alpha Phi in 1998, she felt connected to the women in the chapter and knew she could be herself around them. Three years earlier, Marisa DiChiacchio (Theta Theta-St. Joseph’s) joined Alpha Phi and remembers the desire to build lasting friendships and memories together with her sisters. They both found what they were looking for in Alpha Phi, even if their paths did not connect often on campus. Susan recalls thinking Marisa’s senior class was full of cool, wise women she looked up to, and, after graduation, both Marisa and Susan went on to enjoy life. They built careers and nurtured families. They enjoy reunions and connecting with college friends. They see each other a few times a year. Their kids connect. Today, they take part in Zoom calls and make use of social media to stay in touch. SUMMER 2020
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Susan, a stay-at-home mom with a background in special education, says, “Currently, many of us are in different stages with our kids or living in different parts of the country, so it’s harder to physically get together…. I am not the biggest fan of social media, but at a time like this, I thank God for Facebook. Right now, our sister really needs us and it’s a fast avenue to be able to keep in touch and now keep in close contact as we support our sister, Marisa.” When Marisa, now a senior recruiting consultant at a staffing firm, had her eldest son, Connor, in 2008, she never dreamed she would find herself having a conversation with his doctor nearly eleven years later that would change their lives forever. On April 24, 2019, she and Connor’s dad, Mike Dobbyn, learned that Connor had a rare, genetic, terminal disease called Sanfilippo Syndrome.
“My heart broke into a million little pieces because I learned that my first born was literally given a death sentence with no cure,” said Marisa. That moment was the terrifying culmination of years of questions. When Connor was just under one year old, he presented with a speech delay and qualified for Early Intervention guidance. At three and a half years-old, his fine motor skills did not seem to be advancing as quickly as expected and so Connor was evaluated by a developmental pediatrician. Genetic testing was also performed, but initially showed no red flags. At that time, Connor was given a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), developmental delays and motor planning disorder. When symptoms were not improving one year later, Marisa and Mike sought a second opinion. They believed Connor was on the autism spectrum, and enrolled him Alpha Phi Quarterly
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