Over 100 school students, staff and community members showed up in support of a street sign dedication in Whitesville on May 7. However, the dedication was not made by the county road department, instead the sign was located at the small extension sidewalk at 10521 Franklin St. was blessed by a priest.
When Trinity High School constructed their new gym, there was a curb remaining on the side of the road next to St. Mary of the Woods. Eventually, a sidewalk was put in for ease of travel. While some streets are named after famous president or explorers, the new sidewalk was named after a very special student that utilizes it every day.
Following an 8 a.m. mass Tuesday morning, the students and staff of St. Mary proceeded to the school to bless Easton Way. Easton Way was dedicated and blessed by Father Brian, whose idea it was to put in the sign as he said the young student played such a big part in the community.
Eleven-year-old Easton Pedley was born with Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa (RDEB), the most extreme form of a rare skin condition that can cause the skin to be very fragile and blister easily. According to his mother Jenny, Easton’s skin is affected from the inside and out, meaning any sort of soft or connective tissues could be affected including his mucous membranes and his esophagus.
“I like to describe it as if you were walking across the grass and the grass had no roots,” Jenny said. “Whenever something causes friction, it causes blisters to pop and he loses skin, then it takes 10 days to recover.”
In order to avoid things that cause friction, Easton has to wear shoes that are two sizes larger than normal and clothes of a higher quality. Because of a lack of stability in his knees, Easton uses a walker for school, as much for a seat as to assist him in maintaining his balance.
The newly established sidewalk helps Easton to navigate his way each day to and from school.
“Easton started at St Mary’s in Whitesville when he was in preschool,” Jenny said. “I went in and spoke with parents and students. Even an elbow bump in line could tear his skin off — how do you tell that to preschoolers?”
Jenny said, since St. Mary’s is a private school, there was no funding for a nurse or an aide. She said, instead, the teachers have had to step up and be the nurse and have made the necessary accommodations to ensure Easton’s care and safety.
“They have exceeded our expectations tremendously,” Jenny said. “Everyone has just been amazing with Easton.”
The teachers have ensured Easton he has an aide, and that he doesn’t choke while he’s eating. Students have been helpful by holding doors and getting supplies when Easton gets hurt. Jenny said the parents and staff have gone as far as to sent out text messages or make an announcement over the loudspeaker asking the school to take the time to stop and pray for one of their students.
The type of impact Easton has made on this tight-knit Whitesville school demonstrates why a sidewalk was dedicated in his name.
