Will's Story:
Will Frassinelli
Meet Will Frassinelli, a 12-year-old brain tumour survivor. Ten years ago, after exhibiting a number of symptoms, a CT scan showed that he had a large mass located in his cerebellum. The following morning, an MRI confirmed that Will had a junior pilocytic astrocytoma brain tumour, which was roughly the size of a kiwi. A week later, the tumour was completely resected. During his recovery, Will contracted a staph infection in his external ventricular drain, which necessitated his being hospitalized for three months. During that time, Will underwent countless procedures and an additional two major neurosurgeries, including the placement of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt, which was necessary to regulate his cerebrospinal fluid after his ventricles were severely damaged. This vp shunt caused Will some difficulty over time, including debilitating headaches and temporary cognitive impairment.
For 7.5 years, Will continued to have routine MRIs. In 2011, a new growth in the tumour bed was discovered. After speaking with teams at LHSC in London, Ontario, as well as at both Sick Kids Hospital and Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto, Ontario, it was decided that Will would undergo a chemotherapy protocol for 70 consecutive weeks, as all other interventions were deemed to be too risky. He completed his treatments in November of 2012. His tumour remains stable, which means there has been no growth since the re-diagnosis. Will continues to be very closely monitored, including MRI scans every three months for an indefinite period of time.
Despite the journey that Will continues to travel, he remains positive and demonstrates incredible strength and resilience. The struggle with emotional and physical pain, however, has not been his only battle. Will has missed a lot of school, which has put him behind his peers, academically. Because of the damage sustained during his initial surgeries, he has also had to manage learning challenges, including difficulty with basic word retrieval and organizing his thoughts coherently. Socially, he has suffered teasing for these deficits, which has made his school experience, at times, unbearable. Although he has a loving and supportive group of friends, Will has expressed that he sometimes doesn’t “feel safe” in the regular classroom.
Searching for alternatives, Will’s parents found Virtual High School/ Virtual Elementary School, and from the first moment of contact, Will became excited about learning again, stating, “At VES and VHS, I am just like everybody else. I can go at my own pace and feel good about myself. Everybody there wants me to be successful, and this helps me to believe in myself again. Every kid should be able to feel this way, especially the ones whose lives aren’t so easy.”
Virtual High School is inspired by Will’s story and wants to be able to help other children looking for alternative ways to take courses and earn credits. The idea of Run4Kids 2013 came out of this idea and realization of how important flexibility can be for children and families coping with cancer. Our goal is to raise money through the run in order to provide scholarships for students who are unable or have difficulty attending their bricks and mortar schools. The hope is that by making the courses easily accessible, we can provide an option that is student-centred and meets the needs of children like Will. With the flexibility VHS and VES offer learners of all ages, we believe our courses are great options for students who need this adaptability and support. Please join us in making a difference and helping the children that would benefit from virtual education the very most.
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