Albany County Correctional Facility for Children's Benefit Albany NY

WRGB Story Had Impact

Well, It looks like reporter Marci Natale of WRGB CBS6 certainly had an impact with Giovanni's story that she put together!!! It sounds like Giovanni's medical insurance company has overturned their original denial and plan to cover Giovanni's formula. ACCFCB will pay the initial up front expense for the first month's supply (about $2,200.00) and the insurance company will reimburse us this expense.

ACCFCB would like to thank Marci for her investigatory work on Giovanni's behalf. This outcome wouldn't have been possible without her effort.

We would also like to thank the community for donating to our foundation in Giovanni's name at Key Bank's around the Capital Region. We will continue to work with the DeGeorge family and will utilize your generous donations to assist him.

WRGB Story: Struggling to Survive

Marci Natale
March 5, 2008 - 4:43PM
(Colonie, N.Y.) Like most 18 month old boys Giovanni DeGeorge is learning to walk, talk and play, but his life isn't as easy as it.

Link to CBS6 Story

ACCFCB agreed to help pay for Giovanni's formula.

After Jamie DeGeorge's interview with WRGB she told John Smith:

"Without my family, my pediatrician and you guys- (Albany County Correctional Facility for Children's Benefit) I don't know what I would do. Your organization has been WONDERFUL!! I'd be lost without you guys. So A Big Thank You to you!!"

Giovanni DeGeorge at age 15 month's 12-11-2007

On Tuesday evening, December 11, 2007, ACCFCB met with 15 month old Giovanni DeGeorge and his family.    

Giovanni suffers with Eosinophilic esophagitis- swelling of the esophagus (the part of the body connecting the throat and the stomach) caused by an allergic white blood cell, the eosinophila. A form of food allergy that causes severe heartburn symptoms, nausea, vomiting, Reflux, weight loss and food impaction. 

Giovanni was also fitted with a prosthetic right eye in 2007 in Rochester, New York (every 6 mos it will be cleaned & polished; every 3 years it will be enlarged as he grows).
He is developmentally delayed & gets therapy four times a week for early intervention. (Speech therapy & special ed.)
Genetic testing has not determined if there is a common cause for all of Giovanni's complications.
*6 year old sister, Shylyne had open heart surgery in 2007- she seems to be doing fine now.

Upon our visit, we found Giovanni full of youthful energy, playing and walking. He only said "BaBa"...requesting a bottle, no other words. His prosthetic eye looked good, mom said that there is slight rejection with it and doctors were notified (the body sees it as a foreign object). Giovanni tends to tilt his head to the right, almost as if to highlight the use of his good eye.

Dad, Michael is a Correction Officer @ ACCF. Dad previously served in the military and was deployed to Iraq.
Mom, Jamie works for Albany County Dep't of Social Services.