Saturday, September 3, 2022

KEEPING THE FAITH: How one child’s death is inspiring Crane’s Class of 2023


By Bradley Pettit

Crane High School Journalism Teacher

Every day is sunny and warm, and your dreams are being realized. Your family is healthy, and you feel blessed beyond measure. “Your cup runneth over,” as the Psalmist says.

Then, the weather changes. Savage winds howl through your sunny day, blowing in bruised clouds that drown your soul in tears. Your cup is now empty, your rain gauge full, and it all began with the words, “Momma, I’ve got a headache.”

Pontine Glioma is a very rare, fast-growing brain tumor. This form of childhood cancer affects approximately 300 children in the U.S. annually. It is quick, uncompromising, and extremely deadly.

Marco Lomeli was diagnosed with pontine glioma on April 29, 2011. He was only 6 years old, and he would be gone a little over one year later.

“The first day, he said his head hurt,” his mother, Laura Lomeli, remembers. “The day after that, it seemed like his eye was droopy. Then, his face looked different. When we got him into the doctor’s office on day four, he was tripping over his own feet.”

Terra Willis was Marco’s home room teacher in first grade. She remembers a boy exceedingly full of life, even after he got sick.

“Marco always made people laugh. He loved sports, Oreos, and the song, Who Let the Dogs Out. He loved performing the barking-dogs part.”

When asked where Marco would be now had he lived, Willis was certain.

“He would be a leader on the football field and in the classroom. He was very, very smart. After he had a stroke, things got hard for him. Even so, he always knew the right answer. Especially in math.”

Willis remembers being amazed by Marco’s perseverance after he came back to school following a stint in the hospital.

“He was in a wheelchair, but he was determined to walk. As I would push him down the hall, he’d tell me that he would walk again one day. Sure enough, he went from a wheelchair, to a walker, and then to holding my hand for support as we walked to the classroom together.”

Willis said that Marco constantly surprised everyone, and that she and her students celebrated every achievement he made.

“Towards the end of the year, we called Marco up to the stage. We wanted to honor him for the determination and grit that he had shown while fighting cancer. He had learned to walk again at this point, and watching him stroll up to the stage was nothing short of a miracle.”

With the kids cheering and adults crying, Marco knelt down on a red silk pillow. Then, the CISD Superintendent at the time, Larry Lee, lifted a sword high into the air, brought it down to touch both of Marco’s shoulders, and knighted the little boy who had been so brave throughout his harrowing journey.

Soon after this beautiful moment, Marco got really sick. It was time to rally the troops.

“We had the words ‘Team Marco’ printed on some bracelets and T-shirts,” said Willis. “Each student in the class got one of each. Marco hand-picked the bracelet that he wanted me to wear, and I have worn my Team Marco bracelet every day since then. I will never take it off.”

Next, Willis arranged a group photo that included Marco and her students, with her off to one side. Later, after Marco passed away, Willis and her students recreated this photo. Both photos were then shared side-by-side, commemorating their season in the sun with Marco.

Had he lived, Marco would now be a senior at Crane High School, looking forward to walking the stage with the Class of 2023.

Marco’s sister, Maria Lomeli, is a varsity cheerleader at CHS. She often thinks of what it would have been like to attend high school with her big brother.

“I know he would have been extremely popular. I would have loved seeing him in the halls and watching him play football as I cheered from the sidelines. He was, and is, my hero.”

Ivan Martinez, who was close friends with Marco in elementary school, agrees that Marco would have been a football stud.

“We would be tearing up the field together,” he said. “Like brothers.”

New head football coach, Michael Pittman, was in Crane when Marco was battling cancer. He left to coach in Post for a while, but when he came back, Willis reminded him that 2023 would be Marco’s senior year. They got to talking and agreed that they needed to find a way to honor the boy who had inspired them all those years ago.

“I talked with a few of the seniors who knew Marco, which included my daughter, Jaylen,” said Pittman. “Their input gave us a few ideas. One of them was dedicating a jersey in his memory.”

A.J. Rodriguez, Keaton Sena and Manuel Aranda–all seniors on the football team–were classmates and friends of Marco. Each week, they will carry a jersey in his honor at Friday’s pep rallies. At the games, the jersey will be taken by the team captains to the coin toss. After this, it will remain on his sister’s megaphone for the rest of the game.

When discussing the number for the jersey to honor Marco, Pittman came up with something quite fitting.

“We chose to honor Marco with the number 23,” said Pittman. “He would have graduated from CHS with the Class of 2023. So this number is perfect.”

Pittman, Willis and the seniors decided that the football players should wear decals on their helmets to honor Marco as well. The decal is composed of a yellow ribbon representing childhood cancer, with a heart and angel wings for Marco.

Marco’s mother encourages all who hear her son’s story to develop a Marco mindset.

“His faith was strong, even when things got really bad. And if Marco could keep his head up and hold on to his faith, we can, too.”

Willis agrees.

“He was such a bright light in this dark world. And so I am Team Marco and always will be.”

Marco may not be able to physically walk the stage with the Class of 2023, but those who knew him know that he will be there in spirit. His mother said that she and her family take comfort in these words from the Bible: “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.”

“We know that he’s in a better place,” she said. “And we know that he’s looking down on us and smiling.”

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.



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