Ryemarkable Cameron Scansaroli

Valentine's Day Special

Name: Cameron Scansaroli

Family: husband Paul, daughters Kendall (20) / Cara (17) and son Andrew (14)

Pets: two dogs - Casey and Louie

Work: I am a certified wildlife rehabilitator for Cottontail Cottage Wildlife. I have always had such a love for animals. I started volunteering there in 2023. We work mostly with rabbits, opossums and flying squirrels. I also have been teaching Hot HIIT at Yogafreak for a little over 2 years. I absolutely love working there and being part of such a great community. 

Take us back to the very beginning. How did you and your husband first meet?

Paul and I first met when we were in the 4th and 6th grades, respectively. Our moms started carpooling to swim practice because we lived behind each other. Paul and I were both swimmers for the Long Island Express that trained out of Hofstra University. We started lifeguarding together at Manhasset Bay Yacht club when I was 17 and Paul was 18. That is where it all began! We started dating that summer. I was going to be a senior in high school and Paul was going to be a sophomore at Boston College. While we were lifeguarding we were both the swim coaches for the MBYC swim team. This is where we started spending a lot of time together and falling in love.

How would you describe those first years?

In the beginning we were long distance. Paul was in college in Boston starting his sophomore year and I was starting my senior year of high school. Paul would come down for my swim meets and I would go up to see his. He even wound up coming home to go to the Senior prom with me! I then wound up going to Providence College so we were only 45 minutes away from each other. We got engaged the November after I graduated college and got married the following December.

Looking back, was there a time that shaped you as a couple?

That summer we coached together we won the championship for the first time in club history. This showed us how well we worked together and what a good “team” the two of us were.

What does your life look like now?

We have been living in Rye for 17 years. Our days are filled with raising our 3 children, running a home and carving out time for ourselves.

Would you share your daughter, Kendall’s, story?

On June 16, 2017 Kendall was eating lunch at Milton School and was hit with a terrible

headache. We later learned that Kendall suffered a AVM rupture in her brain. Paul and I went into problem solving mode together and started researching doctors across the country. We leaned into each others strengths, stayed steady where it mattered the most, and made every decision as a team. That experience changed us, but also showed us who we are together - calm, committed and united.

After a month of research and meetings, we connected with Dr. Saadi Ghatan at Mount Sinai. He looked at Kendall in the eyes and told her he could fix her. We felt very comfortable with Dr. Ghatan and very confident that he would be able to cure her.

On August 7, 2017, Kendall had an eight-hour embolization where they cut off over

80% of the blood flow to the AVM. The following day she had a nine-hour craniotomy where they removed the AVM and placed a titanium plate in the side of her head. Dr. Ghatan saved her life. We will forever be grateful to him and his team at Mount Sinai.

Going through this experience has reshaped the way we see time. We came out of that

experience closer and we don’t take time for granted. It has taught us to choose time

together, to say yes to experiences and to appreciate everyday moments that in

the past we may have rushed through.

How did that experience impact your relationship with Paul?

It made us much closer and realized that if you don’t have your health in life, you don’t

have anything. This experience deepened my love for him. We leaned on each other,

communicated, and moved through it as one. He is my best friend and the person I trust most when life gets hard.

On the hardest days, what helped you stay strong together?

Keeping our focus on the only thing that mattered, which was curing Kendall. Being teammates and having constant communication about how we were feeling and what we were going through was the key factor to stay strong.

How did your community show up for you during that time?

The Rye community was fabulous. We had a meal train set up for us because I was in the hospital for many days with Kendall. People had set up rides and play dates for Cara and Andrew. Teachers at Milton came to see Kendall in the hospital and also took Cara and Andrew to do activities over the summer while we were busy with Kendall. There were constant gifts and games and activities being delivered to the hospital for Kendall to occupy her time. When she finally came home after this whole ordeal, her friends and their moms decorated her bedroom to welcome her home.

What is something about Paul that hasn’t changed at all since the day you met?

Paul’s determination and drive has not changed since the first day I met him. Even

when we were kids, he was focused and determined. It is part of who he is and

something that I’ve always admired about him.

What is something that has changed in the best possible way?

He definitely has more patience and a stronger love of animals!

What’s one small, everyday moment that makes you feel deeply connected to him

now?

Sitting together at night and talking about the day.

If you could give your younger self one piece of relationship advice, what would it be?

Listen to your mom! My mom loved Paul from the first day she met him. She told me I better not let him go once we started dating!

What does Valentine’s Day mean to you now compared to when you were younger?

Today Valentine’s Day means gratitude to me. Gratitude for the life we built, a husband who I know will always be there for me, and the family we created.

How do you and your husband celebrate love in a way that feels honest and true to

who you are today?

We share a love for travel as a family and almost always spend Valentines Day in our happiest place - the USVI