Passing life’s test

Paula Pisani

He called it the biggest test of his life.

The science exam was worth 135 points, and Brian Nicalek couldn’t attend

school the day his teacher gave it to his seventh-grade class.

That day Brian was in the hospital facing his own test -- surgery to

remove a painful brain tumor.

Not only did he survive the procedure, he also aced his makeup exam when

he returned to St. Bonaventure School in Huntington Beach. The

achievement secured his spot on the honor roll, a spot he has held since

the fourth grade.

Brian, now 14 and an eighth-grader, was one of five students recognized

March 28 at the Mayor’s Breakfast for making the honor roll -- requiring

no less than five A’s and two Bs -- every semester consecutively for four

years.Other students who received the award include Jennifer Nyguen,

Casey Roccanova, Jade Jimenez and Thomas Ursano.

Despite the rewards, last year “wasn’t any walk in the park,” said Brian,

who lives in Westminster.

Brian has always been a good student, excelling in English and science.

The only B he has received was practically an A -- a B-plus in fourth

grade.

But about a year ago, Brian got a headache. It lasted every day for two

months.

His friends thought he was faking. His parents told him to lie down in a

dark room. His doctors treated him for a sinus infection.

The first indication to his parents that something could be wrong was

Memorial Day, when they attended “Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom

Menace.”

“I knew he was sick because he complained the whole time that his head

hurt instead of watching the movie,” recalled his mother, Toni.

A brain scan showed a pilocytic astrocytoma, a slow-growing tumor formed

from excess brain tissue that was not absorbed at birth.

He had emergency surgery in June during the last two weeks of school.

Brian was discharged from the hospital two hours after his classmates

were dismissed from school for the summer.

Radiation therapy became a daily ritual, starting at 6 a.m., that lasted

through the summer.

“There was no sleeping in, that’s for sure,” Brian said with a chuckle.

His hair, which had fallen out, has grown back and covers four deep

surgical scars on his head.

A tube from the back of his head runs through his neck, down his chest

and into his stomach to drain the buildup of fluid around his brain.

Brian shrugs off the tube as being part of the healing process. It’s a

little uncomfortable if he moves too quickly, he said.

But Brian managed to not miss a day of school because of his headaches

last year. This year, though, he has missed a few days for doctor

appointments. He also had to skip a class trip to Catalina Island.

“You have to make some sacrifices, I guess,” he said.

If anything, it would seem the sacrifices Brian made in the last year

have made him stronger. His eye contact is steady, his handshake firm. He

sits ramrod straight in his chair.

But he is still a typical kid, playing basketball and baseball when he’s

not studying.

“My friends don’t pamper me. I don’t want to be pampered,” Brian said. “I

try to live a normal life. I try not to let it affect me.”

His friends try to have a sense of humor it.

“Last year, they thought I was faking,” he said. “This year, they said,

‘Wow, you weren’t kidding, were you?”’

Support from friends and teachers helped immensely, his mom said.

Language arts teacher Gary Van Moorleghem has had Brian in his class

since September. Brian, he said, is the kind of student who picks up on

the material quickly and tries to stay current with his studies.

“He’s a great student. He’s just a great kid. He’s always on top of

things, especially in literature,” Van Moorleghem said.

When no one in the class will contribute to the day’s lesson, Brian is

usually the one raising his hand, offering insight, which helps

jump-start discussion.

“He does really want to do well. He seems interested in everything,” Van

Moorleghem said. “He wants to learn. You wish you had 35 kids who had

that same kind of attitude.”

But the teacher is quick to compliment the class as a whole.”They’re a

good group of kids overall, the eighth grade,” Van Moorleghem said.

“They’re all a neat bunch of kids to work with.”

School can be tough for anyone, no matter what the situation, Brian

acknowledged.

“Stay strong, and know everything is going to go well,” Brian said,

offering his advice to other students. “Don’t give up -- you will benefit

from it, no matter how deep you have to look.... And if you’re getting

headaches every day, it won’t hurt to get a CT scan.”

Brian doesn’t see his ordeal as a setback. He plans to work in the

high-tech industry someday, perhaps designing computer games.

“I’m stronger now. I can take things better emotionally,” he added. “You

need to cherish what you have because you don’t know what tomorrow is

going to bring.”