Orphan diseases are rare maladies that strike a small percentage of the population and as such, people afflicted by them usually do not have the benefit of support groups, nonprofit support or extensive medical research being done in search of a cure. Unfortunately, little Thomas Kevin Onorato, whose great-uncle is Garden City dermatologist is Dr. Joseph Onorato, is in this quandary after being diagnosed with microvillus inclusion disease. Born on September 10, 2013, Baby Thomas has already endured a battery of tests that would sap the will out of the most hardened adult including multiple blood transfusions, colonoscopies, a pair of endoscopies and intestinal biopsies. That said, he and his parents Tom and Melissa are fighting the good fight with as positive an approach is possible under these horrible circumstances. To that end, Baby Thomas’ folks are holding a fundraiser at Franklin Square’s Plattduetsche Park Restaurant on Saturday, April 19 to raise money to defray medical costs, but to also raise awareness around this extremely rare disease. The hope is that with community support, microvillus inclusion disease might not be as much of a hardship for children up to and including Baby Thomas going forward in the future.
—Dave Gil de Rubio
