Andrew Fillipponi Returns to Air After Loss of Son, Geno

When we find out our favorite celebrity or personality has a baby on the way, it's exciting news. It's even more so when we know that they really struggled with infertility. But not all these stories end up happy ones, and that's what happened to Andrew Fillipponi's son, who passed away. Fans of the radio personality have offered condolences and support to him on his first day back on-air. 

On Dec. 20, 2020, radio personality Andrew Fillipponi announced his son's birth and death on Twitter. Posting the caption, "Rest In Peace Geno. Love you Buddy," Andrew shared more details of the journey he and his wife, Amanda, had gone through during the pregnancy and meeting their son, Geno. 

"Amanda and I would like to introduce you to Geno. He is our miracle baby that we thought we would never have after struggling for three years to conceive," he wrote. His son had been diagnosed with a heart defect while Amanda was still pregnant, which is usually discovered during the 20-week ultrasound or just before. 

"On 12/10 he was diagnosed with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome," he explained. "In layman's terms, the left side of his heart was extremely tiny. Anxiety and stress about the hardship our little guy was about to suffer through was overwhelming but there was hope." 

In Pittsburgh, where Andrew and Amanda were living, the hospital there is "well respected for its pediatric cardiology care," he said. He and his wife were feeling "cautiously optimistic" after meeting with the team of doctors who were going to care for Geno.  

"One of the best feelings in the world is feeling your baby move," the dad continued. "Whether it is the mom inside or the dad outside. Last week, that feeling stopped for us. We knew something was wrong. We immediately scheduled a doctor's appointment. Once there, we got the horrible news that his little heart that was going to shine was no longer beating." 

According to Andrew, he and Amanda were sent to the hospital to deliver Geno. "It was a long, hard night," he wrote before sharing that on 12/18, his son was born at 26 weeks, and they named him Geno William.  

"He looked just like his dad and had the longest hands and feet. We couldn't stop looking at him. We thought it was going to be the worst day of our lives but it was one of the best days because we got to hold our son," he wrote. 

"He will always be with us. Geno made us a mommy and daddy," Andrew continued. "Our sweet angel baby. In these extremely hard times it is comforting to know that we have family and friends here to support us."

On Jan. 4, 2021, after taking some time off to grieve his son and care for his wife, Andrew returned to the air on 93.7 The Fan to thank the Pittsburgh community for their support and everyone else who rallied around him and his family during this time.  

Andrew Fillipponi can be heard 2-6 p.m. weekdays on 93.7 The Fan and can be streamed on the Radio.com app.