Brave boy, 10, tells all

MARBLEHEAD — The row of jagged beach boulders towered over Mason Schade. But it didn't stop the fearless 10-year-old boy, who just completed his fourth-grade year at Danbury Elementary School, from hopping up onto them. He then sprinted across the break wall, effortlessly leaping the gaps to flawlessly land atop the slippery surfaces. Watching from afar, and while concerned for his well-being, Sarah LaMarca still embraced her son's boldness and bravery. "He's the toughest guy I know," LaMarca said. Mason's daredevil attitude and unwavering courage, on full display Thursday afternoon at Marblehead Lighthouse Park, stems from his lifelong medical condition. Not once did Mason buckle his left knee — an impressive feat when considering it's an area severely bruised, causing him excruciating pain. "He lives with a pain of at least a five out of 10 every day," LaMarca said. "There are nights that he doesn't sleep at all because of the pain." About four years ago, doctors diagnosed Mason with fibro-adipose vascular anomaly. As the word anomaly implies, he suffers from a rare disease in which fatty fibrous tissue affects the vascular and lymphatic systems. "His blood vessels break, and, where he has it, it's essential to bend his knee," said LaMarca, a psychiatric nurse practitioner with Firelands Regional Medical Center. "If the lesions continue to grow, essentially he won't be able to function with his leg. Mason has undergone nine surgeries with a 10th scheduled for August. He frequently travels to specialized children's hospitals in Boston and Cleveland for operations and resulting treatments. "He also does an oral immunosuppressant therapy at home," LaMarca said. "Twice a day, he receives medicine in addition to going to labs to make sure his blood counts are OK." Despite the costly nature of these operations, Mason's family — his primary support system consists of LaMarca along with stepdad Brad, sister Ryann and stepbrother Parker — doesn't desire a single cent from anyone. "We just want to raise awareness about his condition," LaMarca said. "People don't understand his condition, because it's so rare, but it's important to us and other people. We just want him to live a normal life, and we're trying to keep the function of his leg for as long as possible." LaMarca initially hesitated about publicly divulging Mason's condition. But she received convincing from her son to share his story. "Not many other people have it, but I would like to inspire people," said Mason, who's an avid baseball player and hopes to, one day, become a professional dirt bike racer. "I just want people to know, no matter how much something hurts, to keep pushing through it because it might get better."