Bellmore eighth-grader’s legacy lives on at SEAS gym

Eighth-grader Thomas Reynolds spent most of his time concerned about those around him — that says a lot about a 13-year-old who spent most of his life battling a brain tumor. Thomas lost his life to the cancer on Oct. 7, but his spirit and legacy continue to comfort those close to him, his mother, Lisa Tuminello-Reynolds, said.

“The biggest part of Thomas wasn’t his sickness,” she said. “It was how he lived his life despite it.”

Thomas spent his short life enjoying sports, friends and his close relationship with his mother and grandparents. Lisa, along with her parents, Rita and Tony Tuminello, were at Thomas’s side throughout his life, in sickness and in health. At age 2, Thomas was diagnosed with an ependymoma brain tumor and underwent surgery. He spent the next five and a half years cancer-free, but the disease returned when he was 8 years old; at age 12, he was diagnosed with leukemia, on top of the brain tumors. “He battled it for a very long time,” Lisa said.

Yet, throughout his fight, Thomas always put his best foot forward. He began nursery school at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Bellmore and forged friendships that would last more than a decade. The friendships he developed lasted through eighth grade at St. Elizabeth’s, even though he was in and out of school for his treatments, Lisa said. While enjoying school and his friends, Thomas grew to love baseball and basketball, playing both as often as he could. His love of sports extended beyond simply playing them. With his mother and grandparents at his side, he went on more than 90 vacations; most trips were to meet as many professional athletes as possible — and to get their autographs.