Students In Westchester Devote Field Day To Classmate With Cancer
OSSINING, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) – A young boy who's battling a rare form of cancer is getting some love and support from his classmates, who devoted their last field day to him Friday.
"His friends are the ones who get him through this. His friends make him feel normal. His friends don't care if he has cancer," Gavin King's mother, Shannon, told CBS2's Tony Aiello.
The fourth grader's parents originally thought Gavin had an eye infection, but doctors soon discovered he was dealing with a form of soft tissue cancer known as RMS.
"We've had some of our highest highs and lowest lows," said his father, Kevin King. "It's been an unexpected journey."
An operation, chemotherapy, and radiation treatments have forced Gavin to miss a lot of the school year, so Friday's event in Ossining was dedicated to the boy students miss so much.
Kids at Claremont Elementary welcomed Gavin back wearing "Gavin gear" – bandannas and t-shirts with the boy's personal motto "no problem Gavin," or "NPG," on them.
Teacher Jill Anderson came up with the idea to sell "Gavin gear" to raise money for childhood cancer. Claremont Elementary sold 900 bandannas during its fundraiser.
"He is a very colorful, athletic, friendly, brave inspirational young man," Anderson said.
The Westchester boy was stunned by the outpouring of love from his teachers and classmates, summing up the entire day in one word: "Wow."
"You really see the humanity that's out there, and it reminds you it's really there, it's really there, you just have to look for it," said Gavin's mom.
His parents said they're optimistic about their son's prognosis and his treatment is going well.
