7-year-old with an inoperable brain tumor is crowned honorary homecoming queen
A 7-year-old with terminal cancer was just named an Ohio high school’s homecoming queen.
Taking to the Waynesville High School football field with her quarterback cousin, Anthony Carmichael, young Reagan Scacchetti received the honorary title in front of family and friends on Sept. 21. According to the high school’s newspaper, the event was a celebration of life for the little girl, who was diagnosed with hypothalamic optic cosmi at the age of 2. Now, five years into her battle with the inoperable brain tumor, Reagan’s parents, Becca and Ray Scacchetti, told local Cincinnati news station WLWT that they’re running out of lifesaving options.
“There’s no treatments left at this point, so we’re left at the stage where we have to allow this to take its course and just pray for mercy, just pray for more time,” Ray Scacchetti said.
For the past nine months, Reagan has been living at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. But the hospital made an exception to release her so that the community could make sure that she lives her best life possible in whatever time she has left.
Speaking of the homecoming queen honor, Carmichael explained: “It means a lot to my family because this is something we’ll never be able to experience in high school for her, so it’s really cool to have her out here with all of us and be the queen. It’s amazing to know that the whole community is behind us in what she has to go through, in supporting everything, so it’s just nice to know that everyone is here for us.”
During the celebration, Reagan was paraded around the high school’s football field while receiving bouquets of flowers and presents, including a stuffed animal. However, her mom said this isn’t the only way the community has celebrated Reagan’s life.
“They’ve done several events here during football just to honor her, and the kids wear ‘Team Reagan’ bracelets, and they got purple T-shirts,” Becca Scacchetti said. “They just have embraced us into this community.”
Waynesville High School Athletic Director Ryan Hill tells Yahoo Lifestyle that providing this type of support for their students and families is of the utmost importance. In Reagan’s case specifically, he feels fortunate to have gotten to know her.
“Her continued courage and love that she displays to each individual she meets is something that should be celebrated and supported across all walks of life,” Hill says. “That we could provide the opportunity for Reagan to be crowned during our homecoming ceremony speaks to the impact she has had on our school and community as well as the character of the faculty and staff of the Wayne Local School District.”
Hill offered his thanks to the school’s homecoming advisers, high school secretary Sharon Vogel, and high school math teacher Jeni Montgomery, as well as the head football coach and the high school social studies teacher, Scott Jordan, for coordinating the event.
Above all, he thanks the Scacchetti family for making their school a better place.
“We are a better community because of Reagan Scacchetti and very thankful to have had the opportunity to honor her courage,” Hill says.
Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:
• A baby with a brain tumor underwent a miraculous recovery after a kiss from Pope Francis
• Boy, 8, with brain tumor raised thousands of dollars for police. What they did to return the favor will make you smile.
• Girls are playing football — and being crowned homecoming queen
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