John’s Journey

John Hull, a 12-year-old Radcliff resident, is at Cin­cin­nati Children’s Hospital fighting leukemia for the fifth time.
Hull has been there about a month with his grandmother and primary caregiver Vilmary Cotto, who also lives in Radcliff. Cotto said Hull was first diagnosed with leukemia when he was 5.
Since then, he has dealt with repeated relapses. She said whenever Hull has relapsed, she would be there with him.
 
Hull is waiting for a bone marrow donor, and with the rest of the treatment and chemotherapy, she said they’ll probably be at the hospital until about mid-July.
Medications and chemo therapy have been hard on the boy, including making it difficult for him to eat. She said her own bills along with Hull’s medical bills also have been tough.

 
 
Before Hull relapsed, Cotto was working in the kitchen at Hardin Memorial Hos­pital, but had to take a leave after he relapsed. She was unable to qualify for Family and Medi­cal Leave since she is not his legal guardian, but would be able to work again once she returned.
Recently, a social worker was able to apply to a foundation to help pay Cotto’s bills at her home in Radcliff for another month. However, she said she is worried about not only Hull, but her financial situation.
“There’s always something that we have to pay in terms of his medical expenses,” Cotto said.