Duquesne Light crews surprise teen cancer survivor with gifts after he took interest in their work

SHALER, Pa. — A teenage cancer survivor got a special back-to-school surprise.

Jimmy Spagnolo, 14, was all smiles after his first day of high school in Shaler, but it was his final few days of summer break that were just as memorable.

“We noticed a lot of Duquesne Light trucks coming into the neighborhood,” said Lacie Spagnolo.

“They were replacing that pole and that pole and that pole,” said Jimmy Spagnolo.

“Just a curious kid,” said Duquesne Light journey lineman Joshua Casselberry. “Just tall enough to see what’s going on outside the fence.”

From a treehouse, Jimmy got the perfect view of the Duquesne Light crews working on his street. Day after day, he would climb the ladder to his treehouse and just watch. Then, he’d ask the linemen question after question.

“Just typical interest in hanging out with the guys and being nebby,” said Casselberry. “What do the trucks do? What are we doing? What’s our plan?”

“I came over, and they were like, ‘Hey Jimmy what’s up,’” said Jimmy.

Then one day, they came over to him.

“These guys just came to my door,” said Jimmy. “Just, ‘knock, knock, knock. Hello? We came to give you some Duquesne Light stuff.’”

“What kind of boy doesn’t want a hard hat?” said Casselberry.

This group of Duquesne Light workers gave him a hard hat, a safety vest and gloves.

“Freakin’ awesome,” said Jimmy.

“They were patient and kind enough not knowing anything about Jimmy’s story,” said Lacie.

At 4 months old, Jimmy was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

“He was not supposed to live to see his first birthday,” said Lacie.

After six rounds of chemotherapy, at 6 years old, his celebration dance after finishing chemotherapy appeared on the Today Show.

“Jimmy has a really unique talent of connecting with people,” said Lacie. “He’s just a genuinely good person, and I really feel like God works through him in a lot of different ways.”

In ways, he may not even realize.

“Thank you, guys,” said Jimmy. “Love you guys.”

Jimmy’s tumor has been stable since May. His next scan is on Wednesday. His mom says they’re praying for a good scan so he can just enjoy being a curious kid in high school.

“It makes me feel like there’s so much good in the world, and we need to focus on it,” said Lacie. “And those gentlemen from Duquesne Light showed it. They lived it. They’re living it.”

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