Vincent Coffaro didn’t think too much of it then, but he did notice that his friend seemed listless and a bit withdrawn during the last days of school in June. It was in stark contrast to the ebullient and jovial personality he had been used to since the first grade.
“Then, a couple weeks ago, we heard he’s in the hospital,” Coffaro said of Anthony Gray, a fellow senior at Archbishop Stepinac High School.
The symptoms persisted, and worsened over the summer, and the 17-year-old eventually was admitted to the hospital and diagnosed in August with acute myeloid leukemia.
“It puts a hole in your heart,” said Coffaro, who grew up with Gray as neighbors in Yonkers. “I just imagine what he’s going through right now, and his family, too. He’s got a lot of friends, people who love him, and we’re all thinking about him.”
That was the impetus behind the boys soccer team’s decision to dedicate its Sept. 13 senior day to Gray and have the junior varsity and varsity games serve as the centerpiece to a fundraiser in his honor.
The event begins at 2 p.m. and, through donations and the sale of food and merchandise, carnival-style games and raffles, the school intends to raise money for Gray’s family, while also helping raise awareness of pediatric cancers.
Stepinac, a Catholic school in White Plains, relaxed its dress code on Sept. 12 and, in exchange for donations, allowed students to do away with their uniforms for a day. The school also plans to host a blood drive on Oct. 3.
The Clarkstown South football team last week honored a schoolmate battling leukemia, having the senior serve as a captain and make the call on the coin toss via FaceTime.
“I lost my father to leukemia, so it really hits home,” said Stepinac soccer coach Matthew Hanley, who has had Gray as a student in his health and gym classes since the ninth grade. “Anthony has a lot of friends on the team, and the kids were devastated when we got the news. They wanted to do something for him, and the captains spearheaded the idea.”
Coffaro and teammates Angel Da La Cruz and Chucky Chavez took the initiative in spreading the word, looking to draw attention and build support for the event. A group of schoolmates are also selling “Leukemia Awareness” wristbands and the soccer team will wear T-shirts on Saturday emblazoned with “Dedicated to Anthony Gray.”
“We’re playing for him this season and he’s our inspiration,” Coffaro said. “Hearing about one of my friends having something like this happen, it makes you realize you can’t take a day for granted. So many other people are going through similar things, so you want to let them know that people do care.”
Gray isn’t a high school athlete, but the former Cub Scout grew up playing basketball and is an avid sports fan who excitedly supports the Stepinac teams. He also is a popular student, known for his charisma and infectious energy.
Acute myeloid leukemia most often affects people over the age of 60, but about 1,200 kids are diagnosed each year, according to the Cleveland Clinic. The survival rate in children is about 67%. That, Coffaro said, makes them hopeful.
Hanley said that Gray was at one point placed in a medically induced coma, but he is awake now and in relatively good spirits. There is a possibility he can return to school later this fall, but Hanley acknowledged a crowded setting can be a risk for an immunocompromised patient.
“All that matters is his wellbeing,” Hanley said. “If he can’t come to class, there’ll be an at-home study program. He’ll be graduating. We’re hoping that everything goes well and that by next spring, his biggest concern will be who he’s going to the prom with.”
Stephen Haynes covers sports for The Journal News/lohud.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Archbishop Stepinac boys soccer team to hold fundraiser for schoolmate battling leukemia
Reporting by Stephen Haynes, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
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