Classmates, friends, and families of a 17-year-old Abington teen battling cancer will hold a walk-a-thon Saturday morning to raise money for his family.
Nick Ranous, an electrical student at South Shore Technical High School, was diagnosed with cancer in January.
Katrina Park, a friend of the family, said Nick has been receiving treatments at the Neely Bone Marrow Transplant Unit at Tufts Children’s Hospital.
“He’s been having a very aggressive treatment because the cancer is very aggressive,” Park said. “He’s on his last treatment and then he will move home and hopefully only have to go in for outpatient treatments after that. It’s been a brutal four months for the family.”
Nick’s mother, Kerri, is a paraprofessional at the Beaver Brook Elementary School. She has worked in Park’s kindergarten classroom for the past six years.
“Kerri lives [at the hospital unit] as well and comes home here and there to get new clothes and have dinner with her other two kids,” Park said. Nick and his brother and sister are triplets.
The walk-a-thon, which is being coordinated by the high school’s student council, will take place Saturday from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., on the South Shore Technical High School campus in Hanover. Money raised will help cover medical expenses and other needs for the family.
“Nick was hoping he could go to the walk but he’s still in the hospital,” said Park.
She described Nick as a person who’s always smiling and joking.
“He lights up a room with his personality and fits in with everybody,” she said.
The school’s student council has also put together a GoFundMe page. The effort so far has raised nearly $10,000.
“[Kerri is] so appreciative of the support the Vo-Tech and people of Abington have given them,” Park said.