![Adding a tray of canned corn to the pile, junior Michael Collop assists in transporting donations for the Holiday Food Drive. The event, hosted schoolwide from Dec. 10-17, raised over 5,000 food items to deliver to the Parkway Food Pantry, helping several families in need. [The drive] is a great thing for us to do because you're giving to those who are less fortunate, and it helps provide for people who can't provide for themselves. [The] competition is always fun, too. It was fun to be in [social studies teacher Jess] Chazen’s class, because he always gets worked up over [the competition]. He made it exciting, and was always convincing us to turn in cans for the drive,” Collop said.](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/feature-photo-unsung-2.png)
![NEW CHALLENGE, NEW TEAM MEMBERS: Every season, VEX creates a new game that robotics team members are faced with and have to build a robot to compete in. This year’s game forces students to create a robot that is able to stack rings onto mobile goals in order to score points. The change in games each season is something that robotics teacher Audrea Moyers appreciates.
“One of the things that I like about VEX is that they have a new problem to solve every year,” she said. ¨Even though the equipment’s the same, they have to analyze the game, and they have to come up with solutions that are unique that year. They are using their knowledge from prior years, but they have to kind of redesign a problem.”
As returning teams were faced a new game, some new teams and members had to adapt to a uncommon playing field and game.
“Three of our four teams were competing for the first time this year, and they had very different experiences match to match, so I think they learned a lot,¨ she said. ¨It’s hard just watching a video online to know how it’s actually going to be in person, so they all learned a lot about what gameplay is like, how to work with an alliance partner [and] how to adapt during the day to changes.”](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_9283-1-1200x800.jpg)
When Tyrone High School senior Conner Marlett was just seven months old, his parents Chris and Krista (Marlett) Frye of Tyrone received news that no parent ever wants to hear.
The news that their son was one of the 15,000 to 16,000 children diagnosed with cancer in the United States each year.
Krista remembers the exact day they received Conner’s diagnosis: September 28, 2007.
It started with Krista taking Conner to the doctor for the common cold. However, during the routine exam, the doctor felt an unusual lump on Conner’s back.
After an X-ray and an ultrasound, they sent Conner to Pittsburgh for further evaluation.
Krista and Chris learned that Conner had stage two clear cell sarcoma of the right kidney.
They were heartbroken and scared, not knowing what would happen next.
“I felt guilty as all you want to do is keep your kids safe,” Krista said.
The family spent the next nine months traveling back and forth to Pittsburgh for surgery and treatments.
Conner had to have his right kidney removed and received a full course of chemotherapy.
Krista recalled how difficult the time was for their family. Doctors and nurses were constantly in and out of Conners’ room at all times of the day. He was hooked up to an IV at all times with fluids and meds at night.
“It’s so hard watching your son being pumped full of so many chemo meds,” Krista said.
However, Krista and Chris credit the doctors and nurses for helping them through the difficult time.
In May 2008, after nine months of treatment, Conner finished chemo and life slowly began to return to normal.
Conner even received a trip to Disney World from the Make-a-Wish Foundation.
Fortunately, the cancer has not returned, but it still affects Conner’s life in several ways.
Conner is not allowed to play most sports because he cannot risk a serious injury to his remaining kidney.
He also has to watch what medicine he takes and have regular checkups on his heart and kidney to make sure the cancer has not returned.
“It’s always rough watching your child go through something like this and them not being able to do what other kids do, but we’re happy to still have our kid here,” Krista said.
Conner’s parents are externally thankful to the doctors, nurses, and their extended family for their help and support.
Conner was too young to remember anything about the initial diagnoses and chemo, but it still affects him today, and he has memories of checkups and tests from his early childhood.
“I don’t remember much, but it’s a weird feeling that it could come back,” Marlett said.
Unfortunately, there is always a possibility that the cancer could come back, but Conner has been cancer-free for almost 17 years and is looking forward to graduation this spring.
While childhood cancer is rare, it is still the leading cause of disease-related death past infancy in children and teenagers. Fortunately, because of breakthroughs in screenings and treatments, survivors like Conner far outnumber the victims.
This story was originally published on Tyrone Eagle Eye News on September 30, 2024.