A father’s journey: Vincenzo Trimboli rises in national Super Dad competition
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LEWISTOWN -- Vincenzo "Vin" Trimboli says the greatest journey of his life began the day his daughter Bella Aurora was born. She is 8 now, bright and curious, and for seven years he has raised her alone.
At age 64, he calls her his blessing, his purpose and the reason he wakes up determined to keep going even when his own body makes that difficult.
Trimboli is ranked highly in the national leaderboard in the Super Dad competition, a fundraiser powered by Colossal that supports Children's Miracle Network. He sat in fourth place nationally, and voting in his group closed on Thursday, Oct. 1, with each last-minute vote counting double. The top 10 in the group advanced to the next round.
Voting for the next round ends Thursday, and he must be in the top five. Trimboli currently stands fourth. The eventual winner will appear in a national television commercial provided by Ace Hardware and take home $25,000.
For Trimboli, the contest is a chance to share a story that has unfolded quietly in a small Lewistown home -- a story of a father learning how to love his daughter the way he believes God loves us. He says the most rewarding part of being a dad is being blessed with Bella and learning how to love her with patience, gentleness, and grace.
"I want my daughter to feel loved the way I wished that I was loved," he said.
Their life together has been shaped by challenges that would overwhelm many families. Trimboli lives with a fib, congestive heart failure and colon cancer. Bella has been diagnosed as developmentally delayed and also lives with a selective eating disorder. They navigate their separate diagnoses side by side, each carrying burdens that most people never see.
He says they struggle, but they struggle together.
Even with the medical hurdles, Trimboli has worked to fill Bella's childhood with joy. Recently, he created a digital scrapbook with 283 photos dating back to 2018, along with audio recordings of songs and a spoken dedication. The scrapbook traces Bella's life from her earliest days to now, capturing the quiet moments that define their bond -- her smile, her milestones, the way she looks at him when she needs reassurance.
He shared the scrapbook publicly as part of the competition, hoping people could see the love that carries them forward.
The Super Dad contest raises money for Children's Miracle Network, giving participants a chance to advocate for themselves while supporting pediatric care nationwide. Votes can be cast for free daily, or by donation, with proceeds benefiting the network's mission to provide life‑saving treatment for children.
Winning would bring $25,000 and a national TV commercial, but Trimboli says the real victory would be showing Bella that their story matters, that their love is strong enough to push through every diagnosis and every setback.
"I want our lives to be better," he said. "I want her to feel loved."
Voting for Trimboli is available at his competition page: yoursuperdad.org/vincenzo-trimbo-mHtJ.
His scrapbook can be viewed at muse.ai/s/bella-s-scrapbook-xkw60gxdvhxnvxo.