Stories From Main Street: Park Ridge H.S. Goalie Helps Little Boy With Rare Disease
PARK RIDGE, NJ (WCBS 880) - Winning isn't everything. Park Ridge High School senior Sean McCan was motivated by so much more this soccer season.
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He founded Saves for Gavin. Gavin Scimeca is 17-months-old and he has a rare kidney disease called Autosomal Recessive Polycystic Kidney Disease (ARPKD). Someday he'll need a transplant and the Scimeca family needs an estimated $100,000 to pay their out-of-pocket transplant-related expenses.
"I wanted to help out somehow and I said, like, if I did something, I would want it to be more something where everyone can kind of get involved and it would be a little more fun," said Sean McCan. "Since I'm a goalie, I figured why don't we do donations for how many saves I get on the season."
Gavin's father Tony Scimeca is a River Vale police officer. His chief, Michael McCan, is sean's father.
"He was definitely a knight in shining armor to say the least," Tony Scimeca told WCBS 880 reporter Sean Adams
So, how many saves did Sean compile?
"172," Sean McCan said.
The previous season he had 102 saves.
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"I think it just brought out the best in everyone. It gave everyone hope and determination on the season. It said the better we did, the more it was helping Gavin and I felt like it made everyone want to play better," he said.
"So, he had taken this little idea and turned it into an amazing thing. We're actually at the point now where he broke several records in school for saves," said Tony.
The initial goal was to raise $5,000. Sean is closing in on $21,000.
LINK: Saves For Gavin
"I can't begin to thank him for the amazing job he's done and what an incredible, you know, man he's turned into be. I mean the fact that he's willing to take on something like he did and do it so phenomenally and get the support of everyone involved and then to, you know, excel and exceed his expectations, everyone's expectations," said Tony.
"If you want to make a difference, you just have to work hard at it. You can be the smallest thing to the biggest thing, you just have to work hard that's the main point of it, and if you work hard at it you can absolutely make a difference," said Sean McCan. "I feel like we played better as a team."
"To see a small little community in the Pascack Valley area just come out and support and do such a phenomenal job in such a short amount of time, for someone that they didn't know, is just, for me it's truly makes me believe that there's just great people out there," said Tony.
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