“ Shecalls everysingle night ,” her mom Tina says to aguest . “ Do you knowofany other high school kid who does that ?”

No , at least not many , but there aren ’ t many girls like DiLascio , 16 , whose long dark curly hair hides a small hole near the top of her head . There is a story behind that incision , and DiLascio doesn ’ t mind telling it .

It includes acelebrity sighting , atrip to DisneyWorld andnow , being the lead runner for Hasbrouck Heights High School .

But for just a moment , DiLascio pauses . She has to call her grandmother when she ’ s done , but for now , she ’ s talking about Hydrocephalus , thecondition that could have killed her if gone untreated and thequestion she used to pose to her mother growing up .

“ Is it weird how it feels like your brain and your head is so tight ? And she would say , ‘ no , that ’ s not how it ’ s supposed to feel ,’” DiLascio , ajunior says . “ I would be like , ‘ OK , then .’”

These days , alot of the questions around the trackand the trail are who is that girl in orange and black for Hasbrouck Heights ? DiLasciowas the leadrunner for the Aviators ’ girls cross-country team and is apromising distance runner on the track team , specializing in the mile and two-mile .

“ If she improveshalf as much as she did this yearfrom last year , she willbe the bestcross-country runner we have everhad at Heights ,” Aviators crosscountry coach Mike Ryan says . “ This is agirl who never thought she could be here , and now she just believesand

that ’ s been the whole key .”

DiLasciohas her speech on Hydrocephalus down for when people ask , and aYouTube video about it she made with her mom . Her life motto : Don ’ t complain .

“ Peoplesay I ’ m always reallyhappy ,” says DiLascio .

“ She really is positive , she is like the happiest , glass always half-full type ,” Tina interjects .

“ That ’ s reallythe only way to be ,” says DiLascio . “ I don ’ t understand people who are complaining all the time .”

Lookingback , the class was “ Topics in Math ” and DiLascio was in sixth grade . It would be after lunch , approximately 1p . m . As the teacher was explaining the finer points of basic algebra , DiLascio would start to feel it . The pressure . The nausea . The feeling likeshe was going to vomit .

“ I wouldget home and it would followmethe rest of the day ,” says DiLascio . “ It is unusualbecause people with Hydrocephalus usually feel their symptoms the most in the morning and at night . Iwas confused because it was always in the middle of the day for me .”

The feelings persistedand she went to have an MRI . She remembers it was Mother ’ s Day 2012 . Doctors called and said they wanted asecondMRI done . That was odd .

The diagnosis was instant . It was Hydrocephalus .

LEFT : KEVIN WEXLER ; TOP : CHARLIE MCGILL / THE RECORD

32 FEBRUARY / MARCH 2017 | ( 201 ) FAMILY

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