Antwahn on his way

19-year-old Antwahn Boyce-Vaughan and his mother, Tonia Boyce, got 25,000 reasons to smile when they received a donation to help Antwahn get back on his feet again after an illness left him unable to walk for the past two years.

This morning, the family received a cheque for $25,000 from the Capital Kids Trust and the Amarone Charitable Trust. The funds will go towards the purchase of a prosthesis and wheelchair for Antwahn who was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer which tends to affect teenage boys.

In thanking the charities for the donation Principal of the Schoolhouse for Special Needs Inc. where Antwahn is a student, Yasmin Vlahakis, praised Antwahn’s mother for her resilience when faced with the news of her son’s health condition.

“Tonia really deserves some praise because she has been a true champion for her child. She did not just take a diagnosis and say, ‘Okay, well this is what we have been told and that’s it’. She read, researched and questioned everything and everyone, and Antwahn is standing here because of her and his doctors, and we are happy to have him back at school.”

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Capital Media, Vic Fernandes, said he was pleased to make the contribution that will enhance Antwahn’s quality of life. “Amarone has funded the Capital Kids Project and today we are investing $25,000 to help this young man achieve his goal to walk and to enjoy life as a normal teenager.”

His mother Tonia said, “I just want to say a huge thank you to the children’s trust because we all know the journey Antwahn has been through the last two years where he could not walk because of this illness, and I appreciate the contributions made by everyone.”

The presentation took place at the Schoolhouse for Special Needs. (DH)