Hundreds Turn Out To Support Charlie Capalbo In Cancer Fight, Say 'Welcome Home'

FAIRFIELD, CT — Hundreds came out Friday to welcome home 23-year-old Fairfielder Charlie Capalbo, who is in remission from his third bout with cancer, the Connecticut Post reported.

The crowd paraded through the Capalbo family's neighborhood, giving chants and cheers, according to the Post, which reported that the surprise event came together in just a few days with involvement from the police and fire departments, and numerous other community members.

“I was speechless,” Capalbo told the Post.

In 2017, Capalbo was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoblastic lymphoma T-cell Stage 3 soon after completing his senior season as a goalie for the Fairfield Ludlowe-Fairfield Warde co-op hockey team.

With a softball-sized tumor in his chest, the 18-year-old underwent 36 months of chemotherapy. He began to regain his health, and enrolled at Fairfield University in 2018.

But just four weeks into the school year, new cancer cells were found in his spinal fluid, and he was admitted to Boston Children's Hospital. In 2019, he received a bone marrow transplant from his younger brother, William Capalbo.

Fairfield has continued to rally around Capalbo over the years, donating nearly $470,000 on gofundme to support Capalbo and his family, more than $200,000 of which was given in 2021 as Capalbo faced cancer for the third time.

Read more from the Connecticut Post.