Editor’s Note: Due to the sensitive nature of this story, Casey’s last name has not been published.

Junior Casey and I have been friends since third grade. We have the same maturity level, which makes us have so much fun together, whether it is making fun of a movie or exploring our town. He finds it difficult to be at school before 8 in the morning. His outfits consist of Hollister, Hollister and more Hollister–t-shirts with dark jeans and athletic shorts/shirts. He wears the same dirt-green-colored jacket every day (well practically) and rocks his silver aviators with style. His long, golden brown hair used to be short enough so that his cowlick would make the front of his hair stick straight up, but now it brushes against his shoulders. Although everyone tells him to cut it off, or confuses him for a girl, he doesn’t budge. Because he likes it. And that’s what matters.

Casey is 16 years old. His birthday is in May, which is the perfect time of year to hold his infamous backyard birthday parties, filled with ice-cream cake and a moon bounce. Actually those parties happened when he was 11 and 12, but everyone still secretly wishes he will have another. He lives on a street with a culdesac, which seems pretty cool. His house has red brick on the first level and gray siding on the second. He describes it as a middle-class house that is formal but family-oriented. Pictures of the family and friends cover the walls and fridge. You can find tons, and I mean tons, of bottles of Gatorade in their office, which is also used for their kitchen pantry. Make sure never to spill on the furniture. Yea, that’s a big rule there.

Casey shared a room with his brother on the second floor, before Dylan left for college. He has the bottom bunk of their bunk bed. The boys’ room is very cluttered. There are old gadgets scattered on the blue-carpeted floor, including a small tent, old Game Boy and DVD player. His walls are also blue, even his sheets. But no one can forget his multi-colored, star body pillow, which he sleeps on comfortably every night. He is 5 foot and 6 inches and weighs 140 pounds, which is bone and muscle only.  His laugh is so distinctive, you can always recognize it. Half the time it starts off with a high screech or scream, and then transforms into a real hard laugh. Not one of those fake giggles, but a lying-on-the-floor, pee-your-pants type.

His parents are divorced, but they are still close. Casey lives mainly with his mom and his brother and sister, but the kids spend time with their dad as well.  Minnie is the name of their shaggy gray/black shih tzu poodle. “I didn’t pick her,” says Casey.

One thing you will never forget about Casey is his humor. He does impersonations, including an identical one of Herbert the Pervert from Family Guy. He also makes faces. Not just slight changes to his mouth or nose or something, but this kid re-arranges his entire face just to give you a good laugh. Maybe that’s why he knows everyone. You cannot walk with Casey down the hallway without him stopping and saying hi to his variety of friends.

His lean body is perfect for his favorite sport: gymnastics. He claims he is the best at floor, where he loves to flip around. Last year, as a sophomore, he made varsity. He hopes to go to state this year and maybe one day the Olympics. For college, he’s looking at University of Michigan, UIC, and Minnesota, so he can do gymnastics and business. I asked him, “What’s the best sport?” He answered, “Duh, gymnastics…well I guess I like baseball too.”

His grades range from As to Bs, which is a result of the countless hours he spent last year in the Literacy Center. Every study hall, I always ask him to come to the cafeteria, but he insists on maintaining his grades, or goofing around with his tutor/friend Hannah. Hannah claims he never lets them get any work done because they always get off course. Casey can never stay focused.

Although Casey may seem like a typical teen, he also struggles at home. Within the past couple months, he has discovered that his mom has cancer of the appendix, stage four, but Casey says it’s a good stage four. She has already had three surgeries, within a span of six weeks, and is going through chemotherapy. But what I admire about Casey is that on a Saturday afternoon, during Spring Break, he doesn’t go out with his friends and just hangs out. He takes care of his mom. He helps her around the house and watches her, making sure she doesn’t get sick. Casey says that the person who has most impacted his life is his mom. “She’s a pretty cool cat,” he says jokingly. “No, I love my mom because she keeps me going through everything.” Now that she’s finishing up her chemotherapy, she is extremely better. “Things are back to normal,” says Casey, after arguing with his mom about taking the car out.

Casey is unique. When he was four years old, he experienced his first seizure.  About six years ago, he had another seizure (his third one, out of the three he has had), watching Disney Channel’s “Stuck in the Suburbs ” in his upstairs living room. As his eyes rolled back into his head, he blacked out, and woke up to discover the news that he was an epileptic. This would change him forever. From then on, he takes medicine every day that will hopefully prevent him from having another seizure.

I asked Casey some questions about himself:

What do you want to be when you grow up?
(Very assertively) I want to start my own line of hotels and resorts in the state, and then the country because you are able to travel and you get money out of everything.

Who’s your role model?
My uncle because he’s very successful and a cool person and knows where he wants to go in life

What’s your dream car?
Black Audi R8-it’s fast, sleek and different than any other car…when I get a family I’ll buy an SUV, black on black, Acura ZDX, Acura MDX, or an Audi Q7. (Did I mention he’s really into cars?)

Where do you dream to live?
New York, the city, or the suburbs like Park Ridge or Winnetka because it’s a nice, high-class area.

What is the most memorable experience in your life?
Uhhh…Probably when I drove my Aunt’s Maserati Quattroporte in the Hamptons (he had it as his phone background).

Describe yourself
Well…I’m a chill person. I’m athletic, loves to chill with people, loves playing sports and of course, I love the ladies (ads in a wink). Gymnastics is my life, but I like dancing too. I only dance hip hop. My family means a lot to me as well.

Casey’s personality and spunk is one that is rare to see in a lifetime. He’s the best at making bad situations work out, because everything just unfolds in his world. You can never be awkward with him because he just fills the silences with his laughter.