“One of the hardest things is not even being able to have a conversation with him,” Karen Gallo said. “Everything has been such a rollercoaster ride.”
That ride led the Gallos to temporarily close their family-owned Italian restaurant in New Carlisle. The couple’s two daughters, Jess Gallo and Alexa Gallo, also work full-time at the restaurant but are in Cincinnati to be close to their father until they can return and re-open Franco the Foodie.
‘We never imagined we’d be in this position’
In the meantime, the community can support the Gallos by posting comments of support on the restaurant’s Facebook page at facebook.com/FrancotheFoodie. People can also send cards to the restaurant at 120 W. Jefferson St., New Carlisle, OH, 45344.
The Gallo family also recently launched a GoFundMe page. Funds raised will help the family cover medical bills not covered by insurance, pay for temporary housing in Cincinnati, cover travel expenses, support the restaurant’s staff and cover the restaurant’s basic operating costs while it is closed.
“We’re writing to you today with heavy hearts and a deep sense of vulnerability,” reads the GoFundMe page. “We never imagined we’d be in this position, reaching out during what has become the most difficult and uncertain chapter of our lives. … We are humbly asking for your support during this time, whether that’s through a donation, sharing our story, or simply keeping Franco in your thoughts and prayers.”
A 2020 survey by NORC at the University of Chicago found an estimated eight million Americans had started medical crowdfunding campaigns, using websites such as GoFundMe, for themselves or a family member. More than 400 donations have been made to the campaign to support Franco Gallo, nearly meeting the $38,000 initial goal.
Post-surgery infection led to heart complications
Franco Gallo’s medical challenges began earlier this year, when he had routine surgery for a pacemaker update.
“The pacemaker became infected, triggering a cascade of life-threatening complications,” Karen Gallo wrote on GoFundMe. “Franco has since endured numerous emergency procedures and has been placed on multiple life-support systems.”
After doctors determined Franco needed a heart transplant, he underwent two weeks of testing.
“To have a transplant, every other organ has to be perfect,” Karen Gallo said. “You have to be healthy, down to your oral hygiene. You can’t be a smoker. You can’t be a drinker. You have to have a supportive family who can be there for you after the transplant.”
“I didn’t realize the half of it,” she added. “This is a rare surgery. An average of 4,000 people a year in the U.S. get this surgery.”
Franco Gallo’s team of traveling doctors, all expert cardiologists, quickly found a heart donor with a positive match, but Franco then contracted COVID-19, which he’d never had before. Franco had to forgo that heart, be removed from the donor list and be treated for COVID-19 before a transplant could be attempted. Five days later, he was again placed on the donation list and another donor was found in just four days.
“It seemed like a miracle, a new lease on life,” Karen Gallo said. “That all turned really quickly.”
‘Franco continues to fight’
The first transplant on Sept. 15 went well, but Franco Gallo’s body began to reject his new heart the very next day.
“As soon as we realized how critical this was and we didn’t know what we were going to do, we decided we were going to look for support” Karen Gallo said through GoFundMe. “We knew we wanted to be here for him and didn’t want our daughters to be back at the restaurant.”
Franco the Foodie, featuring Italian dishes with a menu that changes weekly, celebrated three years in business in August. Franco Gallo was head chef at the Dayton Bicycle Club in downtown Dayton for about 15 years but always wanted to open his own restaurant, Karen Gallo said.
“We’ve gotten to know so many people in the community, and our customers have become like a little family,” she said. “It’s been a wonderful thing.”
That family has voiced support by posting on the restaurant’s Facebook page. A Sept. 27 post, for example, received more than 70 comments and 30 shares.
“I see them all. I feel them all,” Karen Gallo said of the Facebook posts. “It’s very moving to know people really care.”
“I want to thank everyone who has supported us,” she added. “Franco continues to fight with incredible strength, and we are staying right by his side.”
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