MOKENA, IL — Mokena and its surrounding communities are rallying around a beloved boy and his family, following a medical emergency that has left the kindergartener hospitalized.
St. Mary's staff and students have wrapped blue ribbons around trees on the campus, a bright show of support for Orazio Castelli, who suffered a sudden seizure just days after the start of school.
The ribbons—along with cards and signs handmade by students—are "a simple but powerful reminder that something special is happening: a community coming together in prayer and support for kindergarten student Orazio Castelli," school staff wrote.
A GoFundMe has been started for the Castelli family—who own Frankie's Restaurant in Tinley Park—as Orazio remains hospitalized this week following the debilitating seizure.
"Just last week, five-year-old Orazio walked through the doors of St. Mary's Catholic School in Mokena to begin kindergarten," the fundraiser reads. "He should be spending these days learning his new classroom, filling out his 'About Me' papers, losing his first teeth, scoring goals, making new friends and deciding whether pizza, pasta or gelato deserves the top spot on his list of favorite foods. Instead, Orazio is beginning a fight no five-year-old should ever have to face."
Just days ago, Orazio was enjoying a school-sponsored Back to School Skate on Friday evening with his family and friends. He was smiling, laughing and skating, staff said.
Then, without warning, everything changed.
On Aug. 22, Orazio suffered a sudden seizure. Doctors discovered that he was experiencing bleeding in his brain caused by an arteriovenous malformation, or AVM. In simple terms, an AVM is an abnormal tangle of blood vessels in the brain, similar to a tightly knotted bowl of spaghetti. Instead of blood flowing normally from arteries through tiny blood vessels and into veins, AVM creates abnormal connections between them. These vessels can be fragile and may rupture without warning.
That's what happened to Orazio.
He was emergency airlifted to Lurie Children's Hospital, where a neurosurgical team performed lifesaving brain surgery to remove the accumulated blood and relieve dangerous pressure on his brain. A portion of his skull was temporarily removed to allow room for his brain to safely swell as he begins to heal.
As Orazaio recovers, his doctors will need to address the AVM itself, and when it is safe, reconstruct the portion of his skull that was temporarily removed. The exact road ahead is still being determined, but Orazio and his family face a long and uncertain recovery.
What has followed since Orazio's medical emergency has been an extraordinary outpouring of support for the family.
At St. Mary Catholic School, students, families, staff, and parishioners filled St. Mary Catholic Church for a prayer vigil and mass on Sunday evening with Castelli family members. Students have made cards and signs, blue ribbons have been placed throughout the school campus, and classrooms have continued to pray for Orazio and his family.
The support has quickly reached far beyond the school walls. Mokena, Frankfort, Orland Park, Tinley Park, and surrounding communities have rallied around the Castelli family, with friends, neighbors, local businesses, and community members stepping forward in countless ways. Messages of encouragement have poured in, people have organized prayers, and many have simply asked what they can do to help.
In the GoFundMe, Angela describes Orazio as "my strongest baby.
"I know he's going to keep fighting," she told the organizer.
The Castelli family, owners of Frankie's Restaurant in Tinley Park, has built a reputation for generosity and helping others in times of need, and the community is returning that kindness.
"For more than 30 years, their family and Frankie's Since 1988 have been woven into the fabric of their community," the GoFundMe reads. "They have fed people, supported causes, donated to those in need, helped families through difficult times and stepped up again and again when their community needed them.
"They are the kind of people who don't just talk about community. They take care of theirs. Over the last three decades, countless people and organizations have been on the receiving end of this family's generosity, often quietly and without expectation of anything in return."
The response to the GoFundMe has been a powerful reminder of what can happen when communities come together to help one of their own.
For Orazio's classmates, the blue ribbons are more than decorations. They are symbols of hope, faith, and love for their friend.
"From the halls of St. Mary Catholic School to neighborhoods and businesses throughout the area, the message remains the same: Keep fighting Orazio. You are surrounded by a community that is praying for you, supporting your family and believing in your recovery. Faith can move mountains!" school staff shared.
To date, the GoFundMe has raised nearly $118,000.
"His family is incredibly grateful for the village that has come together around them during a time when they need it most," the GoFundMe organizer wrote. "Every donation, every prayer, every message and every act of kindness is being felt more than you know.
"This is what a village looks like. This is what love looks like."
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