Ethan Gray: One Tough Cookie

On the surface, Ethan Gray looks like a typical high school student. A senior at St. Rita of Cascia High School, the 18-year-old jokes with his friends, plays in the school band and volunteers at local churches. But when you get to know him, you can see that Gray, who was selected by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) as this year’s national recipient of the National High School Heart of the Arts Award, is much more.

“He’s inspiring,” said St. Rita music faculty member Cindy Gradek. “He’s a quiet kid, but he’s very talented and his classmates love him. Most people are unaware of what he goes through, and they’re blown away when they hear his story.”

Born about two months prematurely, Gray was diagnosed with sickle cell thalassemia, a genetic blood disorder that can cause fatigue and episodes of pain ranging from mild to very severe.

Despite the diagnosis, Gray started preschool at the now closed St. Thomas More grammar school in Chicago when he was about 3 years old.

However, school was anything but easy. “I was sick a lot,” said Gray, recalling a time when he missed a month of school because of pneumonia.

Knowing he could be hospitalized for pneumonia, acute chest syndrome and other life-threatening problems, plus suffer pain crises when parts of his body are deprived of blood and oxygen, it was decided he’d be homeschooled.

“Homeschooling was ideal, not just because of Ethan’s health, but because our oldest daughter, Elise, was a club gymnast,” his mother, Allena Gray, said. “We traveled around the area a lot, and homeschooling was conducive to that lifestyle.

“We always knew he would go to a traditional high school,” she said. “Once his sisters got into Mother McAuley (Liberal Arts High School), we knew the homeschooling was sufficient and Ethan would be prepared for St. Rita,” where his brother Emale had attended.

It was there Gray discovered his love of music and theater.

For more, check out the story printed by the Daily Southtown … click here.