Getting to know NC4K Hero Reid Zupanc

If you haven’t had the chance to meet NC4K Hero Reid Zupanc, you’re missing out. At seventeen years old, Reid is a junior at Buckeye Valley High School with a busy schedule and big ambitions. For example, he just wrapped up his role as student director for the high school’s production of The Little Mermaid, which premiered last weekend.

Reid joined the theater program his freshman year, working backstage with sets, props, and costumes for two years before making his directorial debut with their play last fall. He explains that disruptions from the pandemic dwindled the size of the theater program, but they are in the midst of rebuilding their numbers and taking on bigger productions. Reid will continue to lead their efforts when he returns as student director for next year’s play and musical.

In addition to his role in the theater department, Reid is kept busy by volunteering, hanging out with friends, and studying for exams. He has been taking classes from Columbus State Community College since last summer, with the goal of achieving an Associate of Science before he graduates from high school. Post-graduation, Reid wants to study biochemistry.

“Last year, I took my chemistry class with my high school teacher…I absolutely loved and enjoyed that class so much. Biology was a fun class for me, but I definitely liked chemistry…I was talking with my teacher about it and she showed me some of her biochemistry notebooks she did, and I was really interested in the parts that I was able to read…I could honestly picture doing this as a job.”

Reid’s aspirations don’t stop with his major— his college of choice? Cardiff University, located in Wales. A top science school with an abundance of research programs and work-study opportunities, Cardiff University will also allow Reid to apply his associate’s degree towards his transcript and earn his master’s in biochemistry by the age of 22. Afterwards, Reid intends to go to medical school with the ultimate goal of becoming a neuropathologist.

Long before he planned to move abroad, Reid was a five-year-old diagnosed with Epithelioid Hemangioendothelioma. After years of receiving treatment and undergoing multiple surgeries, he was declared in remission around the age of nine, which is when he started modeling in NC4K Fashion Shows. Now, as a teenager, he still models in our signature Hero Walk, but explains that he’s more interested in volunteering backstage than walking the runway.

“Same with my [tech work in the theater department], I don’t really like to be in front of people or perform in front of people, but being backstage and helping everybody back there is always really fun because, I mean, the kids are fun just by themselves, but then you get to see a lot of the people who have been there for a really long time and that you’ve known for a really long time.”

Reid goes on to explain that when he attended NC4K events as a kid, he would be determined to do every activity there and make the time last as long as possible, but his perspective has shifted as he’s gotten older.

“At this point, I’m more there because I like to socialize with the people that are there. 'Cause it’s like: ‘Hey, how have you been, tell me where you are in life, tell me what you’re doing now.’”

He tells a story about a parent he sees often whose daughter is currently working in a plant lab as she studies for her PhD: “It’s very interesting to catch up with these people because…I would never have thought they would be the type of person to go off and do that.” He jokingly adds: “When I was with them, they never really expressed that much interest in plants, but I guess that’s where they are now.”

In the decade he’s spent as one of our Heroes, Reid has been able to watch the ways in which NC4K has changed, specifically the annual Fashion Show.

“I mean, it’s definitely grown. I think the actual patient side of it has grown as well, or maybe I know more of them now…but I think it’s shifted more towards the kids than the fashion show part of it…I think it’s gotten very playful, in a way…it’s a lot more of: there’s a theme and it’s gonna be fun and everyone’s gonna participate.”

He goes on to say that he’s also observed the growth of the childhood cancer community as a whole: “When I was in elementary school, it was like, ‘Oh, we’re going to this place? I’m going to see this person, this person, this person, and this person.’ And it was those four people that were at every event…now I show up to a foundation event and I see a couple people that I know, but then [there’s] a lot of unfamiliar faces where I’m like ‘Oh, this is new, or I haven’t met your family before.’”

Continuing his observations on the childhood cancer community, Reid explains that he recently attended the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Golf Tournament and was able to meet representatives from foundations he was learning about for the first time. He describes how impactful it can be to see partnerships among organizations serving childhood cancer families and encourages these teams to continue seeking out and expanding opportunities to collaborate.

Reid also recognizes that the more these groups work together, the easier it will be for families to access the support they need: “We should boost how people are referred to different organizations so that when places have different resources, people with different [needs] can find them.”?

It’s a gift to receive feedback from NC4K Families and Heroes such as Reid. Listening to their perspectives allows us to elevate our services and make the biggest impact we can. It is also a joy to learn what our Heroes are up to outside of NC4K— we are certainly looking forward to seeing the incredible impact that Reid makes during his future in biochemistry.

And if you haven’t met Reid yet, you’ll be able to find him at this year’s Back-to-School Bash in August, chatting with families or helping his eight-year-old sister pick out her new backpack. But don’t be mistaken: “I still eat the cotton candy though, I’m not gonna lie.”