The Warren Parks and Recreation Department will host a “Warren Community Night Out” on Thursday, Aug. 15 from 5:00 to 10:30 p.m. at Burr’s Hill Park.

And while the carnival games, tantalizing food vendors, dunk tank, musical bingo, face painting, inflatables, a screening of “Trolls: Band Together”, and other attractions are sure to delight attendees of the family-friendly event, the evening will also serve as an opportunity to support one local family going through the unimaginable.

On July 16, three-year-old Zachary Lachapelle was diagnosed at Hasbro Children’s Hospital with B cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia after showing signs of unusual bruising.

“I think we were all kind of dumbfounded. Like, is this real? I think it took two days to diagnose so we all just kind of stood in limbo,” said Nicole Pica, Zachary’s aunt and sister to his father, Nick Lachapelle, on the reaction to learning of the diagnosis. “I think it’s just a really hard pill to swallow when the ‘cancer’ word comes out.”

Pica, who now lives in Massachusetts but whose family grew up in and around Warren and Bristol, said that Zachary is the quintessential three-year-old boy, always brightening up those around him with his sense of humor and emerging personality.

“He is a sassy little boy. He is hilarious,” she said. “He has the best eye roll that you’ll ever see, and he makes all the nurses laugh in the hospital with it. He’s super active, always jumping around, always playing. He’s a typical boy, loves to go outside and play in the dirt…I have a three-year-old daughter, too, so they get along pretty well. He loves to go swimming, and his personality is really starting to come out at this age, so I’m hoping this diagnosis doesn’t damper that.”

Pica said that one of the most difficult parts of seeing her nephew go through the diagnosis and treatment — which doctors said would take at least a month of inpatient care at Hasbro and additional follow-up treatments afterwards — is trying to explain to him why he can’t go home or be around his brothers, Teddy and Mason.

“It’s something that is really hard to explain to a three-year-old and to explain to his brothers that they can only see him on weekends or during visiting hours from 4:30 to 6:30 in Providence,” she said. “It’s just tough to wrap your head around and to think about how to help the little ones understand what’s going on.”

Additionally, as with any long-term, intensive medical process, the concerns over finances always linger as well. A single father, Nick Lachapelle is unable to work his job as a union electrician during his son’s treatment.

“He has health insurance but given that he’s a single parent and he’s in the hospital for a month, he’s not working,” Pica said. “We don’t really know what to expect when the medical bills start coming in.”

One of Nick’s coworkers started a GoFundMe page, which has generated nearly $17,000 as of press deadline. Scan the QR code within this story if you wish to donate.

Thankful for community, and some hope
While the diagnosis has started the family on a dark and uncertain journey, they are very grateful for the support they’ve already received, and Pica couldn’t help but point out an interesting synchronicity that the date of the Warren Community Night Out (Aug. 15) happens to land on Nick’s birthday.

“It’s just insane how the community comes together,” she said.

Nick’s friendship with Byron Thibaudeau, one of Parks & Recreation Director Tara Thibaudeau’s sons, helped lead to the connection to raise money for the family during the Community Night Out, which is being managed by Thibaudeau’s charitable nonprofit, The Christopher Stone Fund.

On top of the financial support from the community, Pica said during her interview on Monday that the family had additional reasons to feel hopeful, as Zach has been making improvements ahead of schedule.

“He’s had several transfusions but his immune system is starting to come back, so they’re hoping to discharge him early, which is awesome,” she said. “Kids are so resilient, it’s insane. It’s really hard to explain to him what’s going on, and he asks every day if he can go home. So when the doctors came in today and said hopefully he could be home by the end of the week, he just lit up. He misses his brothers, he wants to go back. Not that he doesn’t have endless toys and pepperoni — he could live off pepperoni — but he’s in pretty good spirits all things considered.”

The Warren Community Night Out is a free event open to all who wish to attend.