A Bethel Park High School senior turned a challenging medical diagnosis into a charity to help others.

When he was 9, Sean Rovers, now a 17-year-old senior at Bethel Park High School, was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor, a type of CNS sarcoma called intracranial myxoid mesenchymal.

He had his first brain tumor resection in October 2017 and was in the hospital for two weeks. The tumor recurred, requiring a second surgery and radiation.

Through all his medical procedures, Sean continued to smile. He and his mom, Maria Rovers, decided to bring smiles to other families by creating Smiles From Sean. The organization focuses on brightening the faces of children with medical issues.

One of the ways they reach out is through their annual Easter Basket Project, which they started in the early stages of the covid-19 pandemic. They fill colorful baskets with toys, gift cards and love for ill children. When they deliver the baskets to a child’s home, Sean wears an Easter bunny costume. They also give baskets to any siblings.

In May of 2019, a coin drive fundraiser began at Neil Armstrong Middle School in the Bethel Park School District. There wasn’t a coin drive in 2020 because of the pandemic. It began again in 2021 and all the money raised, which included other schools in the district, is donated to UPMC Children’s Hospital Foundation. The fund is under the jurisdiction of the social work department. A recent donation of $3,749 was given on Aug. 13.

Over the course of the coin drives, more than $30,000 has been raised.

The fund name for the coin drive was changed to the Sean Rovers and Kaylee Kruise Smiles Fund. Rovers and Kruise, who lived in Altoona, met as patients at UPMC Children’s Hospital. Kaylee Kruise died in 2021 at age 11. In 2023 and this year, Altoona Area High School helped raise money in her memory through a coin drive.

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