Nicholas Kane, 10,  is a fourth grader at Central Elementary who lives with childhood rheumatoid arthritis.

 

On Saturday, May 6, he and his family will participate in the Walk to Cure Arthritis at John Ball Park Zoo in Grand Rapids. Mom, siblings Ashleigh, 26, Jacob, 18 and Makenna, 17 as well as other family members will walk with Nick.

 

The funds raised from the walk goes directly to the Arthritis  Foundation’s nonprofit mission to find a cure for America’s leading cause of disability.

Nick was diagnosed at three. His classmates have known him since pre-school and now elementary and have always been entirely supportive, his mother Lona said.

“When he has to be in a wheel chair, they fight to see who will get to push him. When he goes on the elevator, he can pick one friend to ride with him.”

 

 

For many years, Nicholas’s condition has required frequent trips to Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital for rheumatology and orthopedics treatment and St. Mary’s for pain management.

“Through it all, his classmates have been kind and supportive,”  his teacher Teresta Bolo said. “However, recently they began to support him on another level. They joined in his fundraising efforts, creating awareness posters and giving speeches to other classes.”

 

In their speeches, they told of Nick’s struggles and provided information about his upcoming walk.

When the Kane’s get to the zoo for the walk, they will spend the day there, with a picnic lunch in front of the zoo and tables with free stuff for the kids, mom said.
“He’s a great kid. You’d never know to look at him what he is going through.”

 

Anyone can join the walk. Most teams are for supporting children, but there adults too.

“He has had great teachers at Central, they let him go to the office for medicine when he needs to; they support him in general, but Mrs. Bolo goes above and beyond, making posters and letting kids talk to the other classrooms. She’s just a great teacher.

“Nick and three girls made the presentations to the other kids. Anything he can do to end pain and treatment of arthritis, he’s all for it. He loves doing it.”

Bolo said the “presenters”  encouraged fellow students to donate pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters and dollars. In the end, his classmates raised $120.37 for “Team Nicholas,” she said.

 

Quoting a motto that the fourth graders have been living by this year, one student proudly commented, “No day is complete until a kindness is done. Today we did a kindness...a kindness for Nick.”

 

Photos: (Top left) Nicholas Kane holding a collection poster

 

(Top right)  Brennan Reser and Rachael Hewitt creating informational posters that were hung around the school.

 

(Middle left) Fourth graders Rachael Hewitt, Nicholas Kane and Izzy hold the money collection container they decorated.

 

(Bottom right) Ms. Bolo's fourth graders class.

 

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