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Finally, at last, Angelo is back and back for good

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Angelo Loli and his mom, Anthulla, inside the kitchen of their Briar Ridge home. "It's just great having him home," she says. (Lebanon Voice/Harrison Thorp photos)

MILTON - Life is a struggle for Angelo Loli, a struggle getting out of bed, a struggle getting in and out of the shower, even a struggle getting a bite to eat.

But life for 18-year-old Angelo is also oh so sweet, too, because after more than a year and a half of hospitals and rehabilitation centers, he's finally home and home for good.

Once a varsity soccer and basketball player, his favorite pastime now is going for short walks down Briar Ridge Road with his mom, Anthulla, in his motorized wheelchair, which he controls with his mouth.

Angelo's life changed on Jan. 22, 2014, during the middle of a school day at Nute High when he began to develop a severe headache and soon after loss of motor skill function.

An electric lift assists in getting Angelo from his bed to a wheelchair, just one of many house modifications made that enabled him to come home.

He was transported to Frisbie and Medflighted to Maine Medical Center in Portland where he was diagnosed with AVM, a congenital disease in which there is a tangle of arteries and veins due to weak arterial muscle. The malformation leads to an increased risk of hemorrhage in the brain leading to neurological symptoms. AVM is silent till symptoms of seizure or migraine-like headache occur.
For Angelo, the complications were far flung: a loss of motor skills, of eyesight in his right eye and short-term memory.

After three weeks at Maine Med, he shifted around to other facilities before ending up at Crotched Mountain in Greenfield, N.H., where he spent months more on the slow mend.

The Loli family, who own Milton's downtown Pizza Nook restaurant, spent thousands and thousands of dollars on retrofitting their home to allow Angelo's return.

Improvements included an electric hoist to help Angelo get from his bed to his wheelchair, widening of a bathroom doorway and installation of a ramp entrance to the home.

There was help from Community Partners and other organizations like the Milton Moose, but Anthulla Loli said much of the cost was borne by her and her husband, Frank Loli.

But no amount of money can compare with having her son finally home, said a beaming, teary and proud Anthulla Loli,

"It means a lot to have him home," she said on Monday.

Angelo had been back home one night in June to watch his classmates graduate from Nute High before returning to Crotched, but last Wednesday, with all the necessary renovations completed, he returned home for good.

Asked what is the best thing about being home, Angelo said softly, "The best about being home? Being together with my family."

As his head slips forward a bit his mom lovingly adjusts a strap to keep his head erect.

Angelo's prognosis is uncertain, Anthulla Loli concedes, but her son is a fighter and if anyone can bounce back from such a debilitating condition, it is Angelo.

And they're not done on retrofitting the house to suit Angelo's needs.

While Angelo can maneuver his wheelchair outside the home just fine, some of the doorways inside, while wide enough to get through, don't allow him proper turning area to allow passage.

Meanwhile, Anthulla Loli said caring for Angelo has become an ongoing concern, with trained personnel regularly unavailable to help her and her family.

She said two home-care givers were supposed to start recently, but never took the required class and so never came.

Others have been scheduled and then called in sick, she said, adding that taking care of Angelo is often a two-person operation.

Angelo cracks a hint of a grin as he shows off his Nute Ram colored socks on Monday inside his Milton home.

She and her daughter have filled in much of the gaps, but she has all but had to give up her work at the Pizza Nook.

"Once in a while if Frank is home, I'll go down there for a few hours, but that's not often," she said.

Inside the Loli home it's lunchtime, and a friend helps Angelo take a biteful of food. Asked about his goals, Angelo doesn't hesitate.

"I have to go back to school for another year and then I will graduate," he said, his soft voice growing stronger and more animated.

One way or another, you can bet Angelo will be making his way down the aisle next year to get that diploma.

Editor's note: Some $7,500 has been raised on an Angels for Angelo Go Fund Me account, but more is needed for ongoing home renovations and other expenses. To donate, click here.

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