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As a Roman Catholic High School freshman, Alex Durelli is receiving religious tutelage for the first time.
Whenever the curriculum will call for a discussion on miracles, the 14-year-old could likely contribute to the lesson plan composition, as he has continued to thwart a heart defect that threatened his life at birth. Seeing golf as a saving grace, he recently garnered All-Catholic distinction and is plotting his progression through the game.
“I really try not to let anything affect me,” the resident of the 2800 block of South Mildred Street said Monday afternoon at the FDR Golf Course, 1954 Pattison Ave., where grandfather Sonny Durelli formally introduced him to the sport 11 years ago. “I think people have to be strong no matter what happens to them.”
The Marconi East dweller has always needed to display diligence because of his status as a total anomalous pulmonary venous connection patient. The congenital heart defect alters blood’s customary course from the lungs to the heart and out to the body, with the veins from the lungs abnormally attaching to the organ, leading to oxygenated blood’s entering or leaking into the wrong chamber. When Alex entered the world, he needed immediate surgery, with doctors giving him a 10 percent chance of living through the procedure, hence his present self-estimation as a modern miracle. With periodic examinations causing no concern, the teenager is enjoying defying odds and bashing balls.
“My condition was supposed to hold me back, and it did somewhat with contact sports,” Alex, who also played baseball for the Southeast Youth Athletic Association, Seventh and Bigler streets, and swam at the Samuel S. Fels South Philadelphia Community Center, formerly 2407 S. Broad St., said. “I wanted to come to feel strong, and golf clicked for me. It’s taught me to get through stuff even when everything’s not right.”
In handling his health and athletic pursuits, the youngster has called upon mom Deann and his grandfather for encouragement and guidance. The latter figure has seen his descendant show so much grit and gusto, he has felt it apt just to let Alex’s talent and tenacity take over and gradually ease into the background.
“I’m here for whatever he needs, especially if it’s a mental aspect of the game,” the inhabitant of the 800 block of Wharton Street said. “He’s had to be brave for all of his life, so it really makes me proud to see him maturing and understanding more about everything around him.”
His budding curiosity played a part in his high school decision. Alex attended A.S. Jenks Academics Plus School, 2501 S. 13th St., through fourth grade and graduated last spring from D. Newlin Fell School, 900 W. Oregon Ave. With golf and academics at the forefront, his family found Roman Catholic enticing, with coach Dan Hoban and director of development and communications Steven Ziegler instrumental in making him a Cahillite.
“I went there believing it would go a long way toward changing my life,” Alex said. “So far, it’s lived up to my expectations.”
Arriving at his Center City secondary site with a pristine game and a clean bill of health, the youth became a reliable roster presence immediately, with Hoban helping to hone his skills to the point where the learner believes he and his peers can achieve supremacy.
“It’s a great bunch of guys, and we’re all looking to play better,” Alex said. “It’s definitely a goal of mine to leave here as a champion, and I think we have the pieces.”
With his diligence as a chief strength, examples of which are his having smacked hundreds of balls during his boyhood hitting sessions and facing older opponents for extra motivation and inspiration, Alex joined an already capable squad and helped it to give parochial pursuers many difficult afternoons. Finishing as its second-ranked member, he played a huge role in its fifth-place Catholic League championship result Sept. 30 at North Hills’ LuLu Country Club. By tying for seventh out of 85 competitors with a score of 77, Alex earned All-Catholic honors, with Roman Catholic staffers meeting him at the final hole to give him plaudits.
“That was a great feeling,” he said of garnering the praise. “Part of what I love about Roman is how friendly everyone is.”
Courtesy of his crunchtime feat, Alex received entry into the Oct. 8 District 12 Championships at Huntingdon Valley’s Philmont South Golf Course, an experience he intends to replicate in his final three years as a high schooler. Having a heart defect makes him a tad guarded, but Alex, with one functioning lung, rarely feels fatigued and strives to believe nothing ails him.
“Everything’s been getting better,” Durelli said of his relative’s test results. “We manage everything pretty well. This kid is the true definition of perseverance.”
Alex, who especially enjoys math, has not envisioned how many trophies he might one day count, as he has come to take one day at a time, a much-appreciated lesson from his battle. A fan of Tiger Woods, 2013 PGA Championship winner Jason Dufner and Rookie of the Year Jordan Spieth, he believes he will go as far as his determination takes him. Never desiring to be the center of attention, he has come to accept that his fight and his skills make him unique, though he also realizes the severity of each has depended on many loved ones.
“I like to think there’s so much ahead of me,” he said. “What I’m never going to forget is that I’ve had so much support from my family, friends and coaches. Golf’s a big part of me, and I’m grateful they’ve been there for that and other things in my life.”
Contact Managing Editor Joseph Myers at jmyers@southphillyreview.com or ext. 124.
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