Bay Ridge

Kids to wear pajamas to school for fundraising drive

‘PJs for PJ’ to raise money for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research

November 17, 2014 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Pietro Joseph Scarso, 5, has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. He is getting a lot of support from his parents, Manni and Dayna Scarso (left); Aimee Pomaro, of Tiny Tots Playhouse; Samantha Altilio, co-founder of the Pietro’s Fight organization; and state Sen. Marty Golden (left to right); who came together to announce a “PJs for PJ” fundraiser. Eagle photo by Paula Katinas
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Students from all over Southwest Brooklyn are being asked by a health advocacy group to wear pajamas to school for one day next month and to donate $5 each to help a five-year-old Bay Ridge boy and others like him battle a rare and potentially deadly form of Muscular Dystrophy.

The event, to be held on Dec. 18, is being called “PJs for PJ,” in honor of Pietro Joseph Scarso, who suffers from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a form of Muscular Dystrophy that affects one in 3,600 boys born in the U.S. The disease affects a sufferer’s motor skills and hampers their ability to breathe. Most of the children afflicted with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy wind up in wheelchairs and many die before they reach their 30th birthdays.

But Pietro Joseph Scarso and his loving parents, Dayna and Manni Scarso, are determined to beat the odds.

A few years ago, Manni and Dayna Scarso formed Pietro’s Fight, a non-profit organization, to raise funds for research into effective treatments to help children fight the disease. Since its founding, Pietro’s Fight has raised more than $750,000 through events such as dinner-dances, 5K races, and children’s amusement park visits, and has donated money to companies that conduct cutting edge research into treatments for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Dayna Scarso said.

“People just come out and support our events,” she said, adding that she and her husband are grateful and overwhelmed by the support.

On Nov. 14, the Scarsos, along with little Pietro Joseph, came to state Sen. Marty Golden’s office at 7408 Fifth Ave. in Bay Ridge to announce plans for the “PJs for PJ” fundraiser. The Scarsos and Golden were joined by Samantha Altilio, co-founder of Pietro’s Fight, and Aimee Pomaro, a teacher at Tiny Tots Playhouse in Bay Ridge, a school that is taking part in the PJ fundraiser. Altilio and Pomaro came up with the concept for the “PJs for PJ” event.

“There’s a lot of hope and that’s what keeps us going,” Manni Scarso said.

“Our goal in this mission of ‘PJ’s for PJ’ is to celebrate the spirit of fun during the holiday season. Pajamas symbolize a sense of childhood innocence that we hope to preserve for Pietro and rest of boys with DMD,” Altilio said.

Several schools have jumped on board for the Dec. 18 fundraiser including St. Patrick Catholic Academy, Fort Hamilton High School, Redeemer St. John School and Stepping Stones Nursery School, Altilio said.

While the adults spoke, little Pietro was drawing pictures, which he later gave to the reporters covering the press conference.

Golden, who said he will wear pajamas on Dec. 18 in solidarity with Pietro’s Fight, added that he will encourage schools to participate in the fundraiser.

All of the people suffering from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy “deserve a chance for treatment,” Golden (R-C-Bay Ridge-Southwest Brooklyn) said. The senator also spoke about how much he admires the Scarsos. “I salute them. They are really a great family,” he said.

For more information on “PJ’s for PJ,” contact Altilio at [email protected], or Pomaro at [email protected].

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