Living in the Moment: The Shore Rallies Around Central’s Dayton Frulio as He Battles Brain Tumor
*Click here for the online fundraiser to support Central’s Dayton Frulio
For so much of Dayton Frulio’s life, it’s been about the moments of quiet triumph for the Central Regional senior.
It’s leading the JV baseball team in wins as a pitcher. It’s being mobbed by teammates after recovering an onside kick to seal a win by the JV football team last year. It’s his dad seeing him in the hallway at school laughing with his friends when Dayton doesn’t know he’s watching, savoring how far things have come for his son.
“He never gives up, and he always has these moments, and you’ll always remember,” said Jerry Frulio, who is Dayton’s father, a longtime teacher at Central and the Golden Eagles’ former head baseball coach.
Diagnosed with autism as a child, Dayton went from not even speaking a word until he was 3 years old to carving out a life for himself like any other 17-year-old. He’s a football player, a baseball player, a pizza delivery guy, a regular on the friend group text and an inspiring older brother to younger sisters who are star athletes at Central. He wants autism to be a footnote in his biography.
All those little moments and all those friendships formed over the years have combined to forge armor that he’s needed in the most difficult period of his life.
Central’s Dayton Frulio with his parents, Jerry and Jo-Dee. (Photo courtesy of Jerry Frulio)
On Wednesday, he underwent his second major surgery of the last two months at Robert Wood Johnson Memorial Hospital in New Brunswick to remove the remainder of a brain tumor discovered in August.
“I think having gone through what he’s gone through since he was a toddler has kind of prepped him for what he’s going through now,” Jerry said.
“He’s been battling with everything he’s got,” Central head coach Jarrett Pidgeon said.
Jerry and his wife, Jo-Dee Frulio, shared the positive news on Wednesday night that Dayton’s surgery went well. The doctors believe they were able to remove the rest of the tumor, and no shunt in his brain is needed.
“All is good for now,” Jerry said. “We can exhale.”
In about two weeks, Dayton will begin radiation treatment.
“He’s handling it like a champion,” Jerry said. “He just shrugs and says, ‘I got this.’”
The army of supporters who have rallied around him are not surprised.
A Stunning Diagnosis
Dayton was at football practice in mid-August when he began experiencing double vision and issues with one of his eyes. The symptoms came after a summer when he had endured headaches that the family thought were just migraines.
When he came home from practice, his right eye had turned completely inward to make him appear cross-eyed. He was taken to the eye doctor, who examined him and told the Frulios to immediately take Dayton to the emergency room at Community Medical Center in Toms River.
The hospital then quickly arranged transport to Robert Wood Johnson after discovering the mass on his brain that had been pushing on his right eye.
A day after he went to the eye doctor, Dayton was undergoing major surgery to remove about 70% of a brain tumor.
“Two terms they kept using were ‘aggressive’ and ‘complicated,’ which are two words you don’t really want to hear,” Jerry said.
Dayton’s goal was to return to the sidelines to be with his Central team for the season opener against Steinert on Aug. 29. When the season kicked off, he was right with his teammates after having worked hard at physical therapy three times a week.
“When he got to the game, kids were hyped to see him,” Pidgeon said.
Support from Around the Shore
One of those indelible moments the Frulios won’t soon forget came last week when Central welcomed Brick for a Class B South game. Dayton went out with the captains for the coin toss, and Brick wore decals of No. 29, Dayton’s jersey number, on their helmets.
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An inspired Golden Eagles team picked up a 21-0 win over the Green Dragons.
“I can’t say enough about those Brick kids,” Jerry said. “They lost, but all they cared about after was shaking hands with Dayton and giving him a hug and wishing him the best. That’s the stuff that matters. Those Brick kids showed a lot of class, and it was really cool.”
“It’s a cool thing to see all the Shore Conference teams are chipping in and doing their part,” Pidgeon said.
Senior running back/linebacker Austin Jarvis, one of the Central captains who walked out to midfield with Dayton, has known him since they were kids. They are neighbors, and their families are close.
“That was amazing,” Jarvis said about the Brick game. “That’s the most respect you can show another team. It felt great to see. That whole game was for him. We were playing all out.”
Dayton Frulio (#29) took the field with the captains for the coin toss before a win over Brick. (Photo courtesy of Jerry Frulio)
Central also moved up its team picture a few weeks ahead of Senior Night so that Dayton could be in it before he underwent his second surgery on Sept. 30.
“When we say family and football, we take that seriously here,” Jarvis said. “He’s one of our brothers.”
The gesture by Brick is indicative of support from not only around the Shore, but around the country and even the world. Everyone has been rallying behind #DaytonStrong.
Pidgeon said multiple booster clubs from other Shore Conference programs have donated money to help the Frulio family. The funds help with the costs and also provide them with a financial cushion in case Jerry and Jo-Dee, who also is a teacher in the district, use up all their sick days to be with Dayton and have no more paid time off.
One of the many fundraisers for Dayton Frulio and his family.
Local businesses, local law enforcement, donations taken up at Central games, opposing teams – everyone is pitching in to help. On Thursday night, Central held a “green out” at the girls soccer game in honor of Dayton. His younger sister, Addison, is a star sophomore goalie on the team. Her twin sister, Alex, is one of the top gymnasts in the state.
“The outpouring overall is flooring,” Jerry said. “You can’t believe it. People keep handing you envelopes.”
There’s an online fundraiser, an upcoming spaghetti dinner and a bake sale to support the family.
Dayton has received video messages of encouragement from Jersey Shore legend and former Major League All-Star Todd Frazier and Kansas City Royals All-Star catcher Salvador Perez.
Royals general manager J.J. Piccolo is a New Jersey native who played with Jerry Frulio at George Mason, which has made Dayton a Royals fan. When Piccolo heard about Dayton, he passed it on to Dayton’s favorite player, Perez, who sent him words of encouragement.
He’s had prayers and Mass said for him in Germany, Italy and Portugal thanks to family and friends.
“He’s really made an impact on a lot of people,” Jerry said.
Looking to the Future
Central (4-1) will take the field on Friday night against Middletown North (2-2) as Dayton continues his recovery from Wednesday’s surgery.
“We’re doing all this for him,” Jarvis said. “It’s given us more motivation and pushed us.”
As Dayton endures his latest obstacle, he already has his future plans in mind.
He wants to attend Ocean County College, where he would already have 12 credits before he even starts, thanks to classes he’s taken at Central. He hopes to major in sports management.
There are still so many more moments to make.
Scott Stump is the football editor and a reporter for Shore Sports Insider. He first started covering Shore Conference football in 1999 and has covered basketball, baseball and seemingly every other Shore Conference sport at some point.
Email: scottstump25@gmail.com
