Steven Rinaldi (CGS’12) Never Lost Sight of His Dreams
He never lost sight of his dreams
East Boston High salutatorian didn’t let eye tumor stop him
By James Vaznis, Globe Staff | June 13, 2010
Steven Rinaldi set ambitious goals when he began at East Boston High School: Graduate among the top of his class in four years and attend a top college.
He hit the books, joined the swim team, and took part in other extracurricular activities. All appeared to be going smoothly, until one day in March of his freshman year, when his parents decided he should get his right eye checked out. “It looked like a lazy eye,’’ recalled Rinaldi, now 18.
Instead, a doctor jolted the East Boston family by telling them Steven had a tumor in his eye socket, requiring extensive surgery and months of recovery that would seem daunting for even the toughest student.
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The surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital in August 2007 took eight hours and required doctors to carefully peel back his skin, from the top of his head to an area around his eye socket, and to cut bone from his forehead. They removed a tumor the size of a walnut.
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Rinaldi stayed out of school for about two months, but he didn’t let his schoolwork slide. An East Boston High teacher came each day after school to tutor him.
His parents said Rinaldi handled the diagnosis, surgery, and recovery with great ease — a notable sign of his can-do attitude.
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He had covered so much academic material at home with his tutor that he was ahead of his peers in some classes, Arinella said. His recovery also sped along, enabling him to be on the swim team that year.
“He never missed a beat,’’ said Arinella, noting that Rinaldi was captain of both the swim and baseball teams this year. “He’s an amazing kid. . . . You will never ever in the next 100 years find a more well-rounded educated athletic high school graduate.’’
Rinaldi, who decided in the first grade that he wanted to be a dentist someday, said he was so impressed with his surgeon that he now wants to be a neurosurgeon so he can help save lives.
“It’s been a long four years,’’ Rinaldi said. “I can’t believe it’s over.’’
Read the entire Globe story at http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2010/06/13/he_never_lost_sight_of_his_dreams/