East Boston school rallies to help 6-year-old student battling leukemia
“If anybody can beat this, he can.”
Cristopher Chavarria captured Veronica Shaponick’s heart the moment he walked into his kindergarten classroom last September at East Boston Central Catholic School, where she was working as an aide. “I fell in love,” she said. “He was just a little bit of a thing with a very strong mind, a strong-willed kid.”Over that school year, Shaponick and the other teachers got to know the Revere boy and his family.She recalled that whenever Cris was given anything in class, he’d always ask if he could have something to bring home to his younger brother, who he called his “baby.”“He always thought about his brother — just a very thoughtful kid,” Shaponick said.
The Chavarria family.
When given the choice to play with any toy in the classroom, Cris, instead, would want to clean the room — sweep the floors, clean the tables, wipe down the white boards.
“He is the sweetest kid,” she said. “He has a maturity that will surprise you because, like I said, he is small. But his maturity is beyond his years. He’s like an old soul.”
In July, Cris’s parents, Victor and Joana, informed the school they weren’t sure if Cris would be returning to school in the fall.
He’d been diagnosed with leukemia just before his sixth birthday. He’ll be receiving chemotherapy for the next two to three years, Shaponick said, and possibly a bone marrow transplant.
“It was devastating to hear that,” she said.
Cris did end up coming back to school, starting first grade, but his former teacher said that may change in November if his chemotherapy dosage changes or as the winter cold and flu season gets underway. Because of the chemotherapy treatments he receives once a week, the 6-year-old has a weakened immune system.
Cris’s mom quit her job to devote her time to her son’s medical care, and his dad also cut back on work hours to help care for their 3-year-old while his wife and older son are at the hospital for treatment.
Shaponick said she and her colleagues at the school felt compelled to raise support the Chavarrias, who “never asked for help,” while Cris battles the disease.
She started a GoFundMe page for the family, which so far has raised more than $4,000.
“I think people don’t realize the cost of everything and stress of money when your child is sick,” she said. “You don’t want to have to worry about anything else but concentrating on your kid. So the goal of the GoFundMe page — and I’ve also gotten a lot of donations [at] the school — for the Chavarria family [is] so that they can pay their bills and concentrate on Cris and not stress over anything else.”
On Tuesday, the school came together in another way to demonstrate their love and support for the 6-year-old. Students and teachers, in grades one through eight, walked from the East Boston school to the Chavarrias’ home in Revere, wearing orange T-shirts emblazoned with the words “Cristopher’s Angels.”
When the local Boston police station was approached about helping with the walk, Shaponick said the department was enthusiastic about providing a police escort for Cris to the school after the walk was over.
#BPDinTheCommunty: @CaptKelleyMc and the officers assigned to District A-7 were honored and humbled to provide a police escort to a little boy battling leukemia in East Boston. Said one of the officers, “Felt great to put a smile on that lil’ boy’s face.” https://t.co/EGMJAfdpTG pic.twitter.com/KU9liPMX8M
— Boston Police Dept. (@bostonpolice) October 4, 2018
Today we walked as a school family & community for Cristopher as he battles Leukemia. Special thanks to Capt. McCormick & @bostonpolice A-7 for guiding us, joining & reaching out throughout the community to make Cristopher’s Angels Walk possible🧡🙏 #cristophersangels @RCABKMEARS pic.twitter.com/qab8wHVC2q
— EBCCS (@EBCCSNews) October 2, 2018
“This is something everyone wanted to pitch in and do,” she said.
He arrived to the cheers of his classmates and teachers, amidst the flashing lights and heralding police sirens.
Once out of the cruiser, wearing a white knit cap and a huge grin, the boy stood still for a moment, taking in the scene before catapulting himself into his classmates outstretched arms.
“If anybody can beat this, he can,” Shaponick said.
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