Brain cancer didn’t keep Scout from earning Eagle

Last fall, 17-year-old Saun-Shane “Ikaika” Suzuki was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer and told he had just three years to live.

But Suzuki didn’t let that slow him down. The Boy Scout from Hawaii persevered and earned his Eagle Scout award last month.

The story, reported in The Maui News, is an inspiring tale of a boy who is truly living the Scout Oath and Law. “A Scout is Brave”? You won’t find too many Scouts braver than Suzuki.

Just ask his Scoutmaster, Fred Ventura.

“Ikaika is an outstanding Boy Scout,” Ventura told The Maui News. “I’ve had to rein him in from time to time just like any boy his age, but he’s a great young man.”

For his Eagle Scout project, Suzuki secured donations and led his troopmates from his gurney as they rebuilt a concrete rock wall.

It’s a project Suzuki had started planning before he received his cancer diagnosis. His illness put the project on hold, but he was able to see it through last month. His friend and troopmate, Nik Hertz, was there to help.

“All this just shows how much courage he has and how much people are willing to support him,” Hertz told the newspaper. “It’s like the whole island wants to help him out.”

 

 


About Bryan Wendell 3282 Articles
Bryan Wendell, an Eagle Scout, is the founder of Bryan on Scouting and a contributing writer.