SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – A 19-year-old University of Central Florida student and two-time cancer survivor is fighting his latest battle with some financial help.
In January, Grayzon Zrelak was riding a skateboard to his part-time job at Sonic when he was struck in a Longwood crosswalk by an SUV whose driver was then issued a traffic citation. The crash left Zrelak hospitalized and unable to do schoolwork for weeks, as the web design student told News 6 that he’s since been in a coma twice and still has a long way to go toward recovery.
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“I’m in my second semester. Would have been the third but, you know, I got hit by a car,” Zrelak said. “I was in a medical coma for, I believe, three weeks, so I couldn’t really do any school.”
Now though, the folks at his alma mater Seminole Science Charter School have raised more than $2,000 to support Zrelak’s treatment.
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News 6 was there Friday as Zrelak visited his old school to accept the gift, giving thanks for the funds raised in his honor.
“We’re just so grateful that Grayson is still with us. He’s the most inspiring, amazing human being,” said Becc Lester-Beam, community outreach coordinator at Seminole Science Charter School.
The money will help pay for the multiple surgeries Zrelak still needs, in part to fix several fractures, but according to him, he knows this is just a temporary part of his journey and not the destination.
“On March 20, I’m getting my feeding tube and trach removed, so in April I should be at 100%, hopefully. That’s the plan,” he said.
A GoFundMe has been created for Zrelak.
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