Twinsburg turns out for teen’s recovery

TWINSBURG – Liberty Park was the scene of a joyous and noisy celebration Feb. 6 as more than 50 people turned up at a reverse parade for a Twinsburg teen who recently cleared a medical milestone.

Colin Bowser, a senior at Twinsburg High School, rang the bell to mark his last chemotherapy treatment on Feb. 4. Friends and family gathered at Liberty Park, braving the cold if sunny weather, to honk their horns, ring cowbells and congratulate Colin. Many wore “Team Colin” T-shirts and sported orange wristbands in support.

“It was a good surprise,” Colin said of the event. “I’m thankful to everyone who came out. It was good to know there were so many people behind me in everything.”

Colin has certainly come a long and difficult way. When he was 16, he suffered a heart attack during football practice in September 2017. Then, a year later, he was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoid Leukemia, or ALL. He started chemotherapy treatments in September 2018.

More:Twinsburg youth fought heart trouble, now has cancer

Jerry Bowser, Colin’s father, said that his son “has had a rough few years.”

“I’m thankful, glad to see all the people who came out to support him,” Jerry Bowser said at the event.

Grandfather Richard Bowser said he was “really thankful to God” for getting Colin “through all of this.”

Colin said he has been thinking of what to do after graduation. He currently works at Walmart, where he will be transferred to the automotive department. He said he would eventually like to have a career in automotive technology.

“I just started watching a lot of car movies when I was younger,” said Colin. “I started working on my own car, with some of my friends. It’s a small hobby that I picked up.”

After graduating from high school, Colin said he may wait a year, and is leaning toward taking automotive courses at Tri-C.

Reporter April Helms can be reached at ahelms@thebeaconjournal.com.