Springboro school rallies around 4th-grader battling brain cancer

The Five Points Elementary School community launched 200 purple balloons Friday afternoon to show support for a fourth-grader Reagan Scacchetti, who is battling brain cancer.

Reagan’s family and friends joined all of the students and staff at the school, who were encouraged to wear purple, Reagan’s favorite color.

“The community has gotten together and they’ve just been embracing us during this super difficult time,” said Reagan’s father, Raymond Scacchetti.

“It’s a lot of love,” Reagan’s mother, Becca Scacchetti said.

Reagan was diagnosed eight years ago with hypothalamic/optic chiasmatic glioma, a rare form of brain cancer. She has been a patient at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center for two months for her inoperable tumor and has started chemotherapy, her mother said. She is expected to remain in-patient for nine more months.

Credit: Marshall Gorby

Credit: Marshall Gorby

After the balloon launch, students chanted “Reagan, Reagan, Reagan” as many jumped up and down.

Downtown Springboro along Ohio 741 also was decorated with purple ribbons, balloons and signs of encouragement in support of Reagan.

A fundraiser was started last week for T-shirts that say “Team Reagan Our Rockstar.” All proceeds are going to Dr. Peter de Blank Research for low-grade gliomas at Cincinnati Children’s in Reagan’s honor.

About the Author