DENVER — A Denver school is rallying behind a student who was recently diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer.
Verlensky Siffrain, a 7th grader at Florida Pitt Waller School in Denver, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in August. Since then, his teachers and classmates have been supporting him in every way they can.
"Oh my goodness, Verlensky. I mean, nothing else describes him outside of like, being a light for everyone, his peers, the staff, our community," said Leola Sanchez Washington, the Dean of Student Culture at Florida Pitt Waller School.
After going through weeks of chemotherapy, Verlensky's Florida Pitt Waller community said he finds comfort being at school with his friends.
They describe him as a bright light, who is always smiling.
"He is just always the most positive kid I think I've ever met, which is incredible for somebody going through kind of what he's going through," said Kyle Hanzl, Verlensky's English teacher. "A lot of it is in his hip. And it makes it difficult to walk. There's a few challenges that like, he kind of faces."
Twelve-year-old Verlensky, who recently went through a couple rounds of chemo and is now having to use crutches to get around, said he appreciates how his school has been there for him during this time.
"It means a lot because I can be struggling and everyone is supporting me," he said.
"I think this is a place where he feels safe and normal, you know, because when he's dealing with the things that he's dealing with, the outside world can be very kind of scary and unknown. But when he's in the classroom, nothing's wrong at that moment," added Hanzl.
Hanzl said they try to accommodate him as much as possible. He said they recently went on a field trip to Skate City, but since Verlensky can't skate due to being on crutches, Hanzl said he still made sure he was included and had fun.
"We got him on the rink, skating around with his friends. I put them on my shoulders, put him on my back. And we just skated around," Hanzl said.
The school has also launched a fundraiser to help support Verlensky's family as they navigate through unexpected financial obstacles.
"Financially, being with your child in a hospital for a week at a time is definitely hard financially in a household. So that's where we felt like we could step up and put a GoFundMe together for our community to just help this family get through this rough time," said Washington.
Washington adds that the students have been there to make sure Verlensky feels safe and comfortable.
"The students have taken on seeing something so different, they're not really used to seeing someone fighting cancer, with the hair loss, with the the effects that it leaves on on a person and the kids are just being open and loving, just taking care of him, watching them making sure he gets around, make sure that people are very careful."
Verlensky's mother, Bidna Doussaint, said that help from the school has meant the world.
"It means a lot, I feel like this is family," said Doussaint.
Verlensky also expressed his gratitude towards those who have been donating to his fundraiser.
"It means a lot because it shows people care about me," he said.
Hanzl said meeting Verlensky this year and seeing him thrive in his classroom has been a highlight in his career.
"We are teachers because we want nothing more than to help the kids in our classroom, help the kids in our community," he said.
If you'd like to donate to the Siffrain's family's GoFundMe, click here.
