Camarillo resident loses longtime battle with cancer

Mike Gallo Bridgette Gallo knows joy and sorrow.

Her husband of three years, Mike, 39, lost his five-year battle with cancer on July 9.

At times, though, it appeared as if Mike had beaten it.

That was the case when the Camarillo Acorn reported his search for a bone marrow donor in May 2007. Two years had gone by, and Mike appeared to be cancer free, but rounds of radiation and intense chemotherapy had left him with marrow incapable of producing enough healthy blood cells. Doctors recommended a bone marrow transplant.

During the months Mike waited for a suitable donor to be found, however, tests showed the cancer had returned.

While trying to come to terms with the news, the couple learned Bridgette was pregnant- something the doctors had said was unlikely because Mike was probably sterile. The baby is due in August.

"It was kind of like a miracle blessing," said Bridgette, 33.

The good news was followed by more- a bone marrow match was found and, in February, the Camarillo resident had the transplant. For about three months, Mike seemed to be doing well, Bridgette said.

Then last month a biopsy revealed the cancer had accelerated. Doctors said radiation and chemotherapy were out of the question- the treatments would kill him faster than the leukemia. Mike came home to be with his family in late June.

The very pregnant Bridgette was ecstatic, although it meant she would have to provide him with round-the-clock care.

"I just knew that was where he wanted to be," she said.

Bridgette's mother, Debbie Williams, praised her daughter for holding up under tremendous physical and emotional stress.

"I don't know how she did it," Williams said.

Just five days before his death, Mike mustered up enough strength to get out of bed and go to dinner with Bridgette to celebrate their three-year wedding anniversary and watch fireworks with their 4year-old son, Nickolas.

Now a single mother with a baby due Aug. 18, Bridgette said the family's financial future is unsure. They have no trust fund but rely on Bridgett's disability checks. Later this month, she'll learn how much Social Security the family will receive.

"It's pretty scary," she said.

Her mother, who lives nearby, can offer some help, and Bridgette said she plans to return to work as a medical assistant after the baby is born. But she said she's very concerned about lapsing into postpartum depression.

"I'm trying not to stress too much," Bridgette said. "I'm taking it day by day."