We have a 6-year-old boy whose mom recently signed him up for private swim lessons. I assigned him to Marissa McClafferty, who jumped at the chance to teach him how to swim. After speaking with Toby’s mom as to why she signed him up for private lessons she told me that she wanted him to have an activity to do like his brother and sister have. She wants him to share the same successes, failures, hard-work and accomplishments that all kids his age get to experience. She wants him to experience life to the fullest. Toby has an inoperable brain tumor.
Marissa and I don’t know how long he has to live but we both want to make sure that he is living his life to the fullest. She is doing a remarkable job with Toby in and out of the water.
Through this journey that Marissa is experiencing she has realized that she can make a difference and she has applied to the UPMC Cancer Center to help in any way that she can. She is thanking the YMCA for opening a new door with new opportunities for her.