Wallkill Valley grad in ‘circle of love’

A week before his high school graduation, Wallkill Valley Regional High School senior Gabe Uy lost his mother, Vivian, to cancer. She was 56.

As an only child raised by his single mother, Uy faced not only the emotional loss of his mother’s death but the financial uncertainty that goes with it.

That is when the community, specifically Courtney Bonser, stepped in to help.

“Gabe was a high school football player and wrestler,” said Bonser, whose son, Brady, graduated with Uy and whose daughter, Brynn, is dating him.

“Ever since his mom was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer last August, his friends, teammates and their families have rallied around him. When it wasn’t looking good for his mother, we wanted to do something to reach out to the larger Wallkill Valley community. That is when we came up with the idea of starting a GoFundMe because we knew that people would immediately want to help and support him.”

The outpouring from the community has been overwhelming. The initial fundraising goal was $20,000; as of Monday, June 24, more than $29,000 had been raised. The new goal is $35,000.

While that may seem like a lot of money, it will only go so far as Uy will need to pay rent, grocery and utility bills and buy a car, car insurance and health insurance - things that many 18-year-olds take for granted.

Uy is grateful for the support. “I come from a small family, and it has been nice to see so many people put their arms together to surround me in a circle of love,” he said.

In addition to the community’s support, he is relying on lessons he learned while competing in sports.

“In football and definitely wrestling, you go through a lot of adversity and learn how to deal with it,” he said. “That definitely helped me learn how to deal with what’s been thrown at me over the past year. Mentally, I am stronger because of sports.”

Uy said he hopes to study exercise science and go into the medical or health-care field. That journey likely will start with a year or two in community college.

To contribute to the GoFundMe page set up to help Uy, go online to gofundme.com and search for Gabe Uy.