In Times of Need, Northeast Pennsylvania comes to the aid of its own. In our regular column, Patrice Wilding provides a platform for area residents facing a variety of obstacles to create awareness and connect them with much-needed help.
Who: Eleven-year-old Nicholas Suchecki of Old Forge has a heart of gold that beams love on animals and the people closest to him, including his parents, Angela and Charles, and his big sister, Cassandra. The kind and considerate sixth-grader enjoys drawing, science and anything to do with the ocean, such as sharks and fish, plus video-gaming and watching videos on YouTube. While Nicholas is known for worrying about the well-being of others over himself, his loved ones are desperate to find a cure for chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis (CRMO) — a rare bone disease he suffers from. Nicholas endures monthly infusions at the children’s hospital in Danville plus injections, medications, biopsies, regular bloodwork, X-rays, MRIs and regular visits to a variety of doctors to help him with bone flare-ups, which happen when his bone lesions are active and cause him a great deal of pain. Nicholas has had to use a wheelchair at times as well as a cane and a boot.
What: Friends and family have organized under the name Team Nico for a CRMO Awareness 5K Walk-a-Thon and Basket Raffle. Registration costs $35 and can be done at crmoawareness5K.org under “Nico-Scranton.” There also will be Team Nico T-shirts for sale at the event.
When: Saturday, Oct. 26, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: McDade Park, 1 Bald Mountain Road, Scranton
Why: Proceeds from the walk benefit the CRMO Foundation and Kaila’s Komfort, two nonprofits dedicated to CRMO awareness and treatment.
In his own words: “It would make me feel very happy to see people come out to support me and all of the other kids who have CRMO. I think that would be so cool.” — Nicholas Suchecki
SUBMITTED PHOTO Alexis “Lexi” Caviston
Update
Lex-toberfest — an annual fundraiser for nursing student Lexi Caviston of Scranton, who lives with stage IV glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer — is set to return on Saturday, Oct. 26, from 4 to 8 p.m. The event will be held at the Twentieth Ward Social Club, 2028 Pittston Ave., Scranton, and will include a buffet meal provided by Castaldi’s Catering plus a basket raffle, cash bar and entertainment by DJ Donna Diva. Tickets are $10 for adults and $6 for children.
Patrice Wilding is a 13-year employee of the Lifestyles Dept. at The Times-Tribune, where she worked her way up from a clerk to a web video producer to a full-time reporter, writer and copy editor. An Olyphant native, she graduated from Mid Valley Secondary Center and earned a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies with concentration in media arts, political science and communications from Wesley College, Dover, Delaware. She lives in Clarks Summit with her husband, Justin, and their son, Johnny. Contact: pwilding@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5369; @pwildingTT
