Council Recognizes Padua Student And Cancer Survivor
At a May Parma Council Meeting, Ward 9 Councilman Rob Euerle and Recreation Department Director Mickey Vittardi presented certificates to Padua Franciscan High School honor student Abby Recker. Mayor Tim DeGeeter and Vittardi nominated Recker, who recently graduated, for Citizen of the Month.
Nearly a year ago, Recker was diagnosed with a rare cancer, Alveolar Soft Part Sarcoma (ASPS). She stayed positive throughout her treatment and became an inspiration to Padua and St. Columbkille school communities. She organized a campus walk and sold yellow ribbons to raise awareness and nearly $3,000 for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital to help others battling pediatric cancer. Although she was not able to play basketball at Padua, she was an assistant basketball coach at her grade school alma mater, St. Columbkille. Recker’s family and Padua classmates, teammates and her basketball coach, Jake Lantz, attended the presentation. Recker plans to study clinical child psychology at The Ohio State University.
Carolyn Kovach
Carolyn Johns Kovach
Director of Communications, City of Parma, Mayor's Office