Santino’s Legacy
Santi was born on February 8, 2016, sharing his birthday with his dad, Mauricio. Since his arrival, he filled his family with joy through his laughter and boundless energy. He grew up surrounded by love, especially with his brother Lorenzo, with whom he formed an inseparable bond. He enjoyed cycling, football, karate, and playing with his friends from the condominium, who became his second family.
In September 2023, his life took an unexpected turn when he began experiencing dizziness and fatigue. After several tests, on October 31, he received a devastating diagnosis: diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), a highly aggressive tumor. Unfortunately, on December 3, 2024, Santi passed away.
To honor his memory and support other families facing DIPG, the Fundación Santino Pizarro Carrizo was born, with the purpose of providing guidance, resources, and facilitating access to innovative treatments. The love of his family remains intact, and his legacy lives on in every effort to help those going through this difficult journey.
Our Donation Story
Donating Santi’s brain was one of the most shocking yet at the same time simplest and quickest decisions we made. As soon as we were asked, we took a few seconds to respond, but that response was a resounding YES. The fact that we could contribute to research in order to put an end to this horrific disease was a huge step forward for us, and to our surprise, almost no families donate their children’s tissue; in fact, Santi was the first child in Florida to do so, and it’s so understandable, but in our case, Santi’s brain was taken over by that disgusting tumor, which stole his life and destroyed ours. That’s why, in another act of love, we wanted to give it so it could be part of the change. 🤍
I hope there is a tissue bank in Chile to raise awareness that donations can also save other lives.
Without research, there is no cure.
To honor his memory and support other families facing DIPG, the Santino Pizarro Carrizo Foundation was born, with the purpose of providing guidance, resources, and facilitating access to innovative treatments. The love of his family remains intact, and his legacy lives on in every effort to help those going through this difficult journey. We invite everyone to follow us at www.fundacionspc.org.
