A Bermudian student who is receiving medical care in Boston managed to enjoy his Dame Marjorie Bean Hope Academy graduation last week thanks to a collaborative effort.

Dylan Peart, 20, had hoped to return to the island to celebrate the occasion on Friday having received open-heart surgery in the US but complications meant he had to remain overseas while his peers attended a ceremony.

Dawn Peart, Mr Peart’s mother, said her son was overjoyed to find out he could still participate with his friends.

She said: “When he went in and saw everybody on screen, Dylan was smiling.

“He was so happy at the fact he could share that day with his friends and school mates.”

Mr Peart has a rare genetic condition called Cat Eye Syndrome and, last fall, he suffered a series of seizures and a rapid heart rate.

He was sent to Boston Children’s Hospital for cardiac surgery in October where doctors performed a tracheotomy to help him breathe.

In February, he was transferred to Franciscan Children’s hospital in Boston where he is receiving rehabilitative treatment and his parents can be trained in carrying out his care at home.

Neither Dame Marjorie or Franciscan Children’s wanted Mr Peart to miss out on his big day, so arrangements were made to host a celebration in the hospital’s conference room.

Dressed in a cap and gown, he took part along with his peers in Bermuda via a Zoom call and even played a drum solo on a djembe drum he learnt during music therapy sessions at Franciscan.

The story has since been featured in local and regional media.

Ms Peart said while the family had hoped to attend the celebration in person, they were recently informed there was a chance Mr Peart may have to remain in Boston permanently depending on his medical progress.

She told The Royal Gazette: “It is still new to me, it’s evolving. We were supposed to be going home early in the year, then we thought it would be last month and now they can’t say when or if he will ever be able to return.

“The hope and prayer is that it will change and we can get him back home.

“The great thing is he was able to graduate with his peers.

“I know the people at the school quite well, we are close knit, and we have been in touch ever since he came here.

“They asked if he wanted to participate in the graduation and I said let’s do it, it’s a milestone he needs to participate in.

“I told Franciscan and they put the ceremony on the big screen and decorated the conference room with streamers.

“The celebration lasted about three hours. They left the camera rolling so he could speak with everyone and he absolutely loved it. ”

After his name and achievements were called out, Mr Peart found out that not only did he graduate, he also earned a Spirit Award for his attitude towards life.

Asked why she believed her son deserved the award, Ms Peart replied: “If you met my son you would know he is ‘Mr Personality’ — he smiles and generally loves life.

“He is very personable and outgoing, and loves interacting with people.

“When people ask what they can do for him, I say he is very social, the best thing to do is engage with him.”

The communications department at Franciscan Children’s asked Ms Peart if she wished to share her son’s story and it was later picked up by msn.com.

A spokeswoman said the hospital offers post-acute rehabilitation services in Boston.

She explained: “Many of our kids are with us for long stretches as we work to get them strong enough to go home.

“Often times they are in the hospital for birthdays, holidays and big milestones like a graduation.

“When our staff learnt that Dylan would be missing his graduation in Bermuda, they decided to help by hosting the Zoom graduation in the conference room.

“They put up decorations, made him a card and helped get him into his cap and gown.

“Our medical staff even stopped during their morning rounds, played Pomp and Circumstance on an iPhone and cheered him as he wheeled down the hallway to the conference room.

“We know how important these life events are for our kids and we are honoured and happy to celebrate with them.”