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Owen Frenia could complain about certain circumstances in his life as he continues to conquer a brain tumor, but the 10-year-old refuses to resort to sadness, deeming his blessings, such as a loving family and fascination with baseball, far more meaningful than his barriers. The latter godsend took precedence Oct. 13 when the boy joined the Chestnut Hill College club, which includes Girard Estate dweller Dom Raia.
“It is pretty amazing that I can do all of this,” the youth said Monday at the Raia home on the 2400 block of South Woodstock Street. “I feel really good about being on the team. Go Griffins!”
The Bucks County resident became a member of the unit through Team IMPACT, which unites collegiate athletic squads with children contending with a life-threatening or chronic malady. As Owen has dealt with Neurofibromatosis type I, a tumor disorder affecting the nervous system, since age 2, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia suggested father Dan Frenia explore a connection with the school.
“They’ve been true professionals since we met them,” the patriarch said of coach Bob Spratt, a fellow Doylestown inhabitant, and his charges. “They treat Owen as a brother, which means the world to him because he loves baseball and wants to maintain an active lifestyle.”
The youngster has honed a devotion to diamonds for most of his existence and has never let his affliction diminish his appreciation for life’s lighter elements. Through his relatives and friends, he is acquiring even more belief that their combined efforts will play as much of a role as medical professionals’ endeavors in tempering his tumor.
“We love having him as part of our team,” Raia, a product of Girard Academic Music Program, 2136 W. Ritner St., where he helped the Pioneers to extend their reputation as a perennial Public League powerhouse, said. “We always enjoy being supportive of one another anyway, so it’s great to encourage Owen, too.”
The Girard Estate denizen, who has continued to thrive following his stint at GAMP, where his feats included earning All-League distinction and Carpenter Cup invitations and tossing a playoff no-hitter, noted his institution’s basketball program has assisted Team IMPACT’s mission and that Spratt let them know that the baseball team would complement that presence in the fall. Children who work with Team IMPACT, whose acronymic component stands for “Inspire, Motivate and Play Against Challenges Together, typically establish at least a two-year affiliation with higher learning sites. When hearing of the chance to make the Griffins more gregarious, the Frenia family counted the occasion as another victory for Owen, who threw an opening pitch strike ahead of Chestnut Hill College’s Red/Yellow game.
“That was definitely a proud papa moment,” Dan Frenia said of the October event. “With what he has gone through, it’s necessary to have plenty of other stuff to experience, and baseball has been very reliable for us.”
Having an immensely tight-knit bond has also proven a source of solace for the Frenias. Owen received his diagnosis based on the appearance of café au lait spots, which now number around 40, on his body, with his first MRI detecting an optic nerve glioma. Fortunately, the tumor remained small and the boy led an unimpeded life until April 2013. Having complained of intermittent headaches for three months, he learned of the presence of a sizable tumor, which required a biopsy and July surgery.
“He came out of the ordeal like a champ,” Dan Frenia said of his son. “Again, baseball was a bit part of returning to normal.”
A repeat MRI shortly after the procedure showed significant growth, necessitating weekly chemotherapy sessions at CHOP, a regimen that tested Owen, who experienced allergic reactions to chemotherapy drugs and antibiotics. Instead of lamenting his state, the courageous boy began to see each treatment date as an opportunity to play the ambitious underdog looking to knock off the favorite.
“I’m not sad,” Owen said. “I’ve never been that way because I want to beat this and continue to be brave.”
Since September ’13, the tumor has shrunk 40 percent, leading to many celebrations for the Frenias, including, in a break from baseball, witnessing the Philadelphia Eagles’ 43-24 romp over the Tennessee Titans at Lincoln Financial Field, 1020 Pattison Ave., Nov. 23. When calling on his primary passion for enjoyment, Owen loves watching the Phillies and has taken in games in Atlanta, St. Louis and Washington, D.C. Becoming well-traveled has appealed to the boy, but area excursions provide much more perspective, especially interactions with the Griffins, with whom he also shared time Sunday, reveling in a trip aboard their bus, Big Griff. Through the relationship, the players are definitely proving Team IMPACT’s claim that student athletes will obtain lessons about “courage, resiliency and life perspective that they can’t learn in a classroom.”
“On any given day, no matter how bad some things are, we can always accentuate the positive and believe that good outcomes will occur,” Raia, a senior right-hander whose college prowess includes throwing an April ’13 no-hitter that won him NCAA Division II Pitcher of the Week kudos, said. “That’s what Owen helps to remind us of.”
“We love the reciprocal relationship,” Dan Frenia, who helps to raise funds for Neurofibromatosis research through the Valentine’s Day Cupid’s Undie Run at Xfinity Live!, 1100 Pattison Ave., added. “There’s a focus on what’s important in life, which is being compassionate and mindful of others.”
His offspring certainly appreciates those views, too.
“Everyone’s been helpful,” Owen said. “They encourage me to be a professional baseball player. I like that.”
Contact Managing Editor Joseph Myers at jmyers@southphillyreview.com or ext. 124.
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