A New York couple that watched their 21-year-old son suffer through months of painful chemotherapy before he lost his battle to brain cancer is forced to deal with another painful blow this holiday season.
For the past several months, Doug Rillo’s family has tried to remember the good times, but it hasn’t been easy. The Rillo’s are one of millions of families who have lost a loved one to cancer this year, but that’s not why they have been thrust into the national media spotlight. The family has been featured on a number of network news shows because of what happened after their son died.
The Rillo’s, who say they still feeling the sorrow of losing Doug, wanted to find a way to have their son’s memory live on. The family came up with several ideas before deciding to donate a $10,000 wrestling mat to Doug’s high school in his memory (Rillo Jr. was a star athlete at the school where he ran track and wrestled) that would bear his name and the name of another student, Jon Lutke, who was killed in a car accident.
Now here’s the part that’s grabbing national headlines: Doug’s family says the school board rejected their gift.
“They said they have policies… and how many trees can you plant and how many plaques can you have — I was like, ‘As many as you need,'” Rillo Sr. told news reporters.
The family says they are still in shock by the school board’s refusal. When pressed by news reporters about their decision the school system’s superintendent released this statement about the donation: “There are places in our society that are appropriate for memorials and I don’t believe a school building is one of those places.
Members of the community say they feel for the Rillo family and hope a compromise can be reached in the form of a plaque in one of the science laboratories or a on the gym wall.
Meanwhile, Doug’s father told reporters that despite being denied his wish, he’ll attend every school board meeting until the board agrees to remember their brave son in some fashion. The Rillo’s say the school board told them it may consider money for a scholarship fund or it may allow wrestling uniforms to bear their son’s initials.
Cancer can rob a family of so much. I know, I’ve lost several family members to the disease in just the last five years. I truly hope the school board can reach a compromise with this grieving family (after all, they are looking to give something to the school). I’m sure all they want in return is a sense of peace and a chance to let their son’s legacy live on.
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