Vitelli family taking part in Cohasset Triathlon to raise money for PANS & PANDAS research
The Cohasset Triathlon is this Sunday and it starts with a swim at Sandy Beach
COHASSET – More than a 1,000 people will dive into the waters off of Sandy Beach on Sunday as just one leg of the popular Cohasset Triathlon. Then they’ll get to jump on a bike for a 12-mile ride, and finally finish off the day with a nice and relaxing 5K run along the roads of the beautiful seaside community.
Marshfield resident Gino Vitelli is taking part in the fun and, more importantly, he is doing it to raise both money and awareness for a cause that hits him close to home.
Vitelli, 20, will handle the bike segment of the race Sunday as part of a threeperson relay team. His brother Luca will do the 5K run portion of the event and their cousin Mary-Kate Perkins will do the quarter-mile swim to kick off the race. Aptly named “Team Family Affair,” the Vitelli brothers and Perkins are taking part in the Cohasset Triathlon in support of Team JBC’s PANS & PANDAS Foundation.
Brothers Tony, Gino, and Luca Vitelli are all members of Team JBC that will take part in Sunday’s Cohasset Triathlon. Team JBC is raising money for JBC PANS u0026 PANDAS Foundation.
Team JBC has already exceeded its original goal by raising more than $20,000 so far in the week leading up to the race.
PANS (Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome) and PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Syndrome Associated with Streptococcus) occur when the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy cells following an infection (e.g., strep throat), leading to brain inflammation. This misdirected immune response results in an acute onset of neuropsychiatric symptoms ranging from severe anxiety, aggression and irritability to motor and sensory abnormalities.
Marshfield’s Gino Vitelli is a blur of motion while competing in the one mile race at the Patriot League Championship meet at Hingham High on Saturday, June 12, 2021.
Running, biking and swimming for all the right reasons
Gino and Luca Vitelli share more than DNA as brothers. They each were diagnosed with the PANS/PANDAS as young children and both have worked their way to find “the light at the other end of the tunnel,” as Gino described it.
“Taking part in the Cohasset Triathlon in support of this cause is something that’s both special as well as personal to me. Not only because of the cause I’m doing it for, but because I’m going to be doing it with members of my family,” said Gino, who is one of 26 members of Team JBC that will take part in Sunday's race.
Gino was diagnosed with PANS/PANDAS 12 years ago. He said one of the most frustrating parts of the disease since that time is that it is often misdiagnosed and is still quite misunderstood.
“It’s a confusing disease. Doctors spent a lot of time trying to figure out what was happening with me back then. At times it can make you feel really alone, ” Gino said. “Hopefully, something like Team JBC can show people suffering from PANS/PANDAS that they are not alone and there is help they can get. I want people to know that you can get through that tunnel and find your way out the other end of it.”
More: A Launching Point
And there’s been a lot of success for Gino. A cross country and track and field distance runner while at Marshfield High, Vitelli recently completed his sophomore year at Clemson University studying computer engineering. You can see him every college football Saturday in the fall playing tenor sax in the Tigers marching band.
“It been a surreal experience,” Gino said about being in the middle of the Atlantic Coast Conference madness every weekend. “It’s an awesome thing to be a part of each game.”
Luca Vitelli, a 2022 Marshfield High graduate now studying at Norwich University, has fought the same battle as his older brother against PANS/PANDAS.
Said Luca, “Having fought through PANS/PANDAS and being wrongly diagnosed for five years as a child, I am now a young adult who feels fortunate to help spread awareness. My goal is to prevent other children from enduring the same hardships that I faced. If by doing my part, even just one family or child can benefit, it would be truly amazing! The fact that my siblings, cousins, and mother are joining me on TEAM JBC only makes it more meaningful.”
Gino Vitelli, Samuel Will, and Jack Young play the Nationl Anthem at Marshfield High’s graduation on Friday, June 4, 2021.
There's nothing like family
Several members of the Vitelli and Perkins families will do what they can Sunday for the cause.
"When I learned about this opportunity to help the JBC Foundation and hence the PANS/PANDAS community, I did not hesitate to sign up,” said Tony Vitelli, a recent Marshfield High graduate on the way to Niagara University. “After watching two of my brothers suffer for years, I don't want that for anyone else. I am excited to be a part of Team JBC and be able to make a positive difference in the lives of other PANS/PANDAS families."
Tony Vitelli will join his cousin Perkins as a student at Niagara University in the fall. Perkins said, "I am thrilled to join a team with my cousins who have suffered from PANS/PANDAS for years and to support the JBC fund. Their strength and resilience over the years is inspiring and will carry me through the race. I am so excited for this opportunity to race and raise money for Team JBC."
Perkins’s older brother Sam is a student at Westfield State University. He’s accepted the challenge of taking on all three parts of the triathlon route all by himself as a member of Team JBC.
"Being a part of Team JBC has been such an amazing experience. The work they do means so much to me and my entire family,” said Sam. “Growing up watching my cousins go through the struggles and pain of PANDAS/PANS showed me what true strength looked like. When I had the chance to join and work with this team and for a fund that is so close to my family, I knew I had to join up with them.”
Help is there when needed
Jennifer Vitelli is the executive director of the JCS PANS & PANDAS Foundation. She explained what the organization was all about and how they try to help families dealing with that diagnosis.
More: PANDAS/PANS insurance coverage signed into law
“Our organization is dedicated to offering relief to PANS & PANDAS' families from the emotionally and financially devastating, life-altering impacts of a PANS & PANDAS diagnosis,” Jennifer Vitelli explained. “JBC helps families navigate this challenging, often misunderstood autoimmune disease: how to find proper medical care and treatment and then we help them afford the diagnosis and treatment through grants because a lot of it is not covered by insurance. JBC also provides a community of support from other families so no one feels alone.”
The JBC does this by providing up to $5,000 grants so children may receive diagnosis and treatment that is often not covered by insurance.
“JBC offers ongoing one-to-one support to caregivers. A PANS/PANDAS diagnosis is incredibly isolating, JBC helps families navigate this challenging, often misunderstood autoimmune disease,” Vitelli said. “Our group also actively educates the community (school, medical, at large, etc..) on the signs and symptoms of PANS/PANDAS to give a voice to PANS /PANDAS children who cannot advocate for themselves.”
To learn more about PANS/PANDAS, visit www.jbcfund.org
Email the reporter at dwolcott@gannett.com and you can follow him on Twitter, @DavidWolcott1.
