Soldier comes home early to fight for son's life

Hayward Soldier Returns from Afghanistan to Join Son in Cancer Fight
NBC Bay Area
By Monte Francis
Tuesday, Mar 4, 2014

A soldier from Hayward has cut his second deployment to Afghanistan short in order to be with his son, a patient at UCSF’s Children’s Hospital who’s battling a rare form of bone cancer called osteosarcoma.

As with any big fight, this one includes moments of hope and setbacks. One of those setbacks came Monday, when 6-year-old J.J. Orecchia was supposed to have his right leg amputated. The surgery was expected to prolong his life by four to five years, but an infection has now forced the doctors to call off the operation.

Just a year ago, the Hayward boy was a healthy and active 5-year-old. Today, he’s fighting for his life.

“J.J. is feisty,” said Andrew Foster, a friend of the boy’s father, Will, who did not feel up to talking to reporters. “He’s a feisty young boy, a lot of love.”
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