Tainica Norris wasn’t sure her son was going to be able to graduate high school.
Earlier this year Taevion Norris was forced to leave his classmates at West Leyden High School in Northlake after being diagnosed with heart failure due to Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
He has been at Lurie Children’s Hospital since March waiting for a heart transplant. His mother was concerned that Taevion’s health battles and interrupted school work would be too much for him to overcome.
But thanks to his perseverance and with help from family, school and hospital staff, Taevion earned his diploma. And because he couldn’t join his classmates at Tuesday’s graduation ceremony, staff put one together at the hospital on Wednesday.
“Now he’s still here and was able to graduate, and I’m so happy because I thought he wasn’t going to make it, but he made it,” his mother said. “Today he graduated, and I’m so happy.”
Patients and staff lined up along a hall at the hospital’s Cardiac Care Unit to cheer the graduate — dressed in a blue cap and gown — as his mom escorted him to the celebration. The familiar graduation song “Pomp and Circumstance” played in the background, and the space was decorated with balloons and streamers in his school’s blue and gold colors.
“It is my great honor to bestow upon you your diploma from West Leyden High School,” Nick Polyak, superintendent at Leyden High School District 212, said as he congratulated Taevion Norris on his graduation.
Jim Powers, assistant principal at West Leyden, said the 18-year-old’s strength has been an inspiration to those around him.
“We are so incredibly blessed to have you be part of our lives because you truly make us better people,” Powers said. “On behalf of West Leyden, thank you so much for everything you’ve taught us.”
Tainica Norris speaks about her son’s journey during his graduation ceremony Wednesday at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. She said the last few years have been “very hard” for the family, who live in the La Grange area, but that Wednesday was a “good day.”
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Though his heart failure diagnosis happened in March, Taevion Norris has been in and out of medical care for years. His mother said she first started noticing something was wrong in 2016, when she got a call from his gym teacher who noticed that his walking pace was very slow.
Taevion Norris was diagnosed with DMD after visiting specialists at Lurie’s. Katheryn Gambetta, his cardiologist, said DMD is characterized by progressive muscle loss and there is no cure. Gambetta said he’s been on the adult transplant waiting list since May 1, and she’s “hopeful” he’ll be able to find one.
Doctors were able to insert a temporary mechanical device to help Taevion’s heart pump blood to give him more time to wait for a new organ, she said.
Taevion Norris loves playing sports, and as a child dreamed of playing basketball for Marquette University, according to his mom. Though he now needs a wheelchair to help him get around, he still adores sports and is interested in becoming a commentator.
Taevion Norris smiles at a family member during the graduation ceremony Wednesday. He was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy after visiting specialists at Lurie’s. Katheryn Gambetta, his cardiologist, said he’s been on the adult transplant waiting list since May 1, and she’s “hopeful” he’ll be able to find one.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
At school, Taevion Norris said his favorite subject was math. He thanked teachers and staff for helping him reach graduation.
When his grades began to suffer because he was worried about his future, staff helped him re-focus. And once he had to stay at Lurie’s, they arranged home tutoring and online classes.
Last year, he earned the school’s Inspirational Eagle award because of his resilience.
“His very nature is a young man who always tries and never gives up,” Joyce Belluomini, a special education paraprofessional who has aided Taevion since freshman year, wrote in a message celebrating the award that she read at Wednesday’s celebration.
Tainica Norris said the last few years have been “very hard” for the family, who live in the La Grange area. She had to quit work to help take care of her son and his siblings. She has launched a GoFundMe to raise money for a vehicle with the right equipment to take her son to his appointments.
But she thanked hospital staff for their care and for making their days brighter on their rough road. She was touched by Wednesday’s celebration.
“This is a very good day,” Tainica Norris said.