When 11-year-old Andrew West was a baby, doctors told his mother he would never walk or talk after having a stroke in utero, but he has proved them wrong. He’s become a cross-country runner and his teammates have come together for him in some remarkable ways to show he’s a treasured part of the team.
This year West started 6th grade at Plainville Middle School. West’s mother, Gina Petruzzelli-West, told NBC Connecticut that although the stroke left her son with cerebral palsy, he has never considered himself as having a disability. He loves school and takes a combination of special education and regular education classes. And despite wearing a leg brace, he decided to join the cross country team this year.
“He is unstoppable,” his mother said.
And he has some strong support. At Andrew’s first meet on Monday, he was lagging behind on the wooded trail. Petruzzelli-West said that was when his teammates set out to find him and bring him to the finish line.
“This is what sports are about,” Petruzzelli-West said.
“I was crying,” she added.
West said when he realized the team came back for him, it felt awesome.
"I didn't even know they were there. I came out of the woods and they just appeared there," he said.
It’s not the first time Plainville students have thrown their support behind West. Students at Plainville High School helped the family raise funds to buy a custom-built bicycle two years ago so West could ride with everyone else.
Assistant Superintendent Steven LePage was the principal at Plainville High School and a club adviser at the time. He said students in the High School Interact Club heard about West’s story and wanted to help, so they mobilized and hosted fundraisers to raise the last couple hundred dollars the family needed for the bike.
“We just have great kids,” LePage said.
LePage said when West got the bike he came to the high school to thank them.
“Andrew is a terrific kid, he’s easy to like,” LePage said.
LePage said Plainville is a very accepting community and the school district does everything they can to help all their students succeed on the highest level possible. But he also said teaching that positive attitude start at home.
“We do what we can to help them but it is amazing parents too,” he said. “When you have that partnership with the school and parents you can do amazing things.”
Petruzzuelli-West said she shared her son’s story because she wants people to realize that a disability doesn’t stop children from living productive lives. Their story isn’t just about West, but also about the community and how the support and acceptance of his peers help West live his life just like any other kid, she said.
“In six grade, and entering the middle school in Plainville for the first time he was exposed to two other elementary schools that feed into that school. As a parent I was a nervous wreck. But I think parents need to know that the culture of special-education has changed so much since we were kids,” she told NBC Connecticut.
Petruzzuelli-West is a teacher in another district and said she tries to instill the accepting attitude in her students that she sees in her son and his peers.
“My heart is filled with pride, love, and admiration...not just for my son who had a stroke before he was born, but for the 6, 7, 8th graders and PHS High School cross-country team that have accepted Andrew as a true team mate,” Petruzzelli-West said.
