THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 9, 1996 TAG: 9608090053
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E13 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: TEEN BRIEFS
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: 69 lines
Jason Degutis made it to prom.
Last year when Jason, now 19, developed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, an uncommon form of cancer in adolescents, he was ready to give up.
But it was his peers at First Colonial High School in Virginia Beach who began a fund-raising campaign to help the family with medical bills. Other schools joined in the effort. The support gave him the strength and hope to continue, said his mom, Lindy Burd.
On April 27, he picked up his date, Anna Sawyer, a 16-year-old rising senior at First Colonial High, in his donated tuxedo from The Formal House - complete with top hat and cane. Even the corsage and the 12 long-stemmed roses were donated from Country Flowers-N-Things.
Thanks to help from schools all over Hampton Roads, his nearly $250,000 in medical bills are almost paid off.
Jason is moving on to other things.
He's been in remission since March 27 and had his last chemotherapy in April. Last month, he received a negative result from a spinal tap test - meaning the cancer hadn't spread there.
Jason graduated in June to a standing ovation at the Virginia Beach Pavilion. He plans to go to college but is not yet sure where.
``I don't have any more worries,'' he said. ``I would just like to say thanks to everybody who helped me.'' FASHION SHOW
VIRGINIA BEACH - Dee Dee Sides can design both skyscrapers and clothes.
But it's the 1995 First Colonial graduate's fashion that will be modeled at Visions Gallery in Pembroke Mall today.
With clothes made with material ranging from old curtains to plastic, Dee Dee has got it all sewn together.
Dee Dee, 19, a rising sophomore at the University of Colorado at Boulder, said fashion designing is the artistic side of her that ``balances'' her technical side. She's referring to her major at UCB - architectural engineering.
Dee Dee's designs are for females only, and this is her second fashion show. Last year, her designs were mostly summer and evening wear, but this year, she has a few more styles up her sleeve.
Among her 20 or so outfits are three suits made of old curtains from the '30s and '40s as well as halter tops made of plastic, vinyl and rhinestones.
Dee Dee's designs will be modeled during two shows today, at 6 and 8 p.m. Both shows are free and open to the public. NO FLIGHT
SAN FRANCISCO - Twelve-year-old Andy Hedin and his flying instructor had hoped to be in the air Aug. 5, beginning a 1,300-mile flight from San Francisco to Alaska in a single-engine Cessna. But they got grounded.
Turbulence began for Andy in April with the fatal crash of 7-year-old Jessica Dubroff. The death of Jessica, another kid who dared a long-distance flight, shocked the nation. Many critics said the responsibility of piloting was too much for a youngster.
After Jessica's crash, Andy's sponsors withdrew their funding and Andy was forced to cancel his original July 7 flight. A sympathetic follower in San Diego heard about Andy's canceled trip and sent a $6,000 check to help him continue the journey.
Andy was preparing for the August flight when someone made a sarcastic comment to his mother - ``it was nice of that lady to give him $6,000 for his funeral - and Andy's mom became frightened. She told her son not to make the August flight.
``My mom really didn't want me to go, and I'm going to respect her wishes,'' he said. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Jason Degutis and First Colonial prom date Anna Sawyer. by CNB