A Bluffton teenager, whom the community rallied around after he was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer, died on Tuesday, according to his mother’s Facebook page.
Michael Mugrage, 16, a student at May River High School, was diagnosed last November with high-risk rhabdomyosarcoma.
“My precious son Michael left us early this morning. While my heart is shattered into a million pieces, I realize that the loss of my sweet Michael will be felt by so many of you as well. More information regarding services will follow,” Jessica Mugrage wrote Tuesday afternoon on Facebook.
After his diagnosis, Michael underwent months of therapy, including hospitalizations and surgeries.
Earlier this month, Jessica wrote on a GoFundMe page set up for the family that recent tests had confirmed Michael’s cancer had spread “with a vengeance.” She wrote that her son was home and receiving palliative care while they searched for possible clinical trials.
There were more than 100 comments on Jessica Mugrage’s Facebook post within the first two hours.
“I hope you find peace and comfort knowing how many lives Michael touched ... even those who never got the chance to meet him,” one person commented on Facebook.
“Michael was such a positive influence in class. He was not only a great role model and friend to his peers, he was a teacher’s dream — he always knew how to tell a good joke and make me laugh! He left his mark on this world as a brave, kind-hearted, person who always did the right thing,” wrote another.
Michael’s diagnosis with cancer — which surrounded his left lung, was found in his bone marrow and caused tumors on his skull — initially caught his family and friends off guard.
He had been a typical video game-loving football fan and student before he was hospitalized with a collapsed lung on Oct. 30.
In the days that followed, doctors told the family the teen faced 54 weeks of chemo and radiation, plus multiple surgeries.
“It’s the worst-case scenario,” Jessica Mugrage told The Island Packet at the time. “I haven’t been given a lot of hope, but I have to just leave it to God.”
The single mom, who had moved to Bluffton from Hawaii about two years before with her sons — Michael has a younger brother — said then that she was overwhelmed with the community’s support.
Michael’s May River High classmates, teachers and a school resource officer shaved their heads as part of a November fundraiser for the family, and that was just one way the community rallied behind the teen.
A trio of Bluffton women sold handmade “Christmas crowns” — headbands heavily adorned with colorful ribbons, ornaments and baubles — as another fundraiser before the Bluffton Christmas parade in December.
For Michael’s 16th birthday in April, a Bluffton police officer gave the teen his first vehicle, and other friends arranged a telephone call with Joe Montana. Michael had long been a fan of the 49ers and took inspiration from Montana’s “Joe Cool” demeanor, his mother told The Island Packet at the time.
Michael, whose favorite subject in school before his illness was criminal justice, was regularly visited and encouraged by officers from the Bluffton Police Department. Officers also staged a benefit golf tournament in February.
Earlier this month, about 30 officers and Bluffton Mayor Lisa Sulka surprised Michael by swearing him in as an honorary police officer.
Funeral arrangements had not been announced on Tuesday evening.
This story was originally published August 28, 2018 6:27 PM.