TIONESTA, Pa. (EYT/D9) – The small town of Tionesta may only be home to a few hundred people, but what they lack in numbers, they make up for in heart.
The community has shown so lately as former Forest Fire hoops standout and 1,000 point scorer Seth Berlin was recently diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in his jaw called Mesenchymal chondrosarcoma, a type of chondrosarcoma that accounts for just three percent of all diagnosed cases.
A 2018 graduate of West Forest High and a current college student at Clarion University, Berlin is scheduled for surgery next week that will involve removal of the right side of his jaw with a reconstruction using his fibula. After this, Berlin will undergo cancer treatment after recovering from surgery.
While there’s a plan now, it was not an easy process as it took months of appointments and testing to get to this point.
Since being diagnosed, the community has rallied behind the Berlin family and have organized a benefit at the Forest vs. North Clarion junior varsity and varsity basketball game originally slated for Friday.
Due to inclement weather, the game has been postponed and rescheduled for Monday at West Forest, with junior varsity beginning at 6 p.m. and the varsity contest scheduled to tip at 7:30 p.m.
Proceeds at the entrance will go towards Berlin’s fight against cancer, with additional activities taking place throughout the evening. West Forest students Izabelle Flick, Abigail Worley, and Theresa Dando have helped to arrange a basket raffle, a children’s lollipop pull at halftime of the varsity game, and a “Buck a Duck” activity to help raise money for the cause.
Additionally, Seth’s mother, Korryn, has organized a t-shirt benefit with the words “His fight is our fight” and “Team Seth” displayed on the front.
Berlin family friend, Bonnie Meisel, is in the process of organizing a benefit outing in Tionesta that will be held at a time in the near future.
If able, consider donating and attending the basketball game Monday night that will help benefit a young man, family, and community in need.
