Survivor bravely goes on with his life never forgetting little Christopher

LAWRENCE, Mass. — All three of the boys who survived the tragedy on the Merrimack River five years ago lost friends.

Ivan Casado also lost a brother.

Seven-year-old Christopher Casado, Ivan and four of their friends made a human chain across the river’s thin ice to try to save 11-year-old William Rodriguez, who had ventured out to play. The boys’ weight forced the ice to shatter, dropping the little heroes into 38-degree water with William.

Christopher, the youngest in the group, died in the river. On Christopher’s headstone at St. Mary Immaculate-Conception Cemetery in Lawrence is his picture and the word “COURAGE.”

It was courage that Ivan displayed on Dec. 14, 2002. He was 9 at the time and managed to escape the river’s icy clutches and run for help. His actions led to the rescue of two of his friends — Jaycob Morales and Francis Spraus — who were still above water when help arrived.

Firefighters found Christopher, William, Mackendy Constant and Victor Baez under the ice.

Five years later, Ivan lives like most adolescent boys. He is 14 and will turn 15 on Jan. 29. He has a girlfriend. He sports baggy clothes and an earring in his left ear. He still has a shaved head like he had when he was younger.

Since the accident, Ivan has “gotten more mature,” he said.

“I’ve gotten older, I guess,” he said.

Life without Christopher

Ivan likes to spend time at the Boys and Girls Club on Water Street, where he plays on the eighth-grade basketball team. The Boys and Girls Club is within walking distance of the Casado’s Jasper Street home. Hundreds of kids flock to the facility every day. Ivan, Christopher and the other five boys spent the afternoon there before their lives took that tragic turn five years ago.

Ivan has not had a hard time returning to the club since the accident. In fact, it is his sanctuary.

“That’s where I go to have fun,” he said. “I don’t think of anything that happened.”

At the Alexander B. Bruce School, Ivan is in eighth grade, and history is his favorite subject. He hopes to go to Central Catholic High School next year and play on the basketball team.

“He’s doing good right now,” said his mother, Jacqueline, referring to his schoolwork.

At home, Ivan is soft-spoken and polite. He stayed in his room when a reporter and a photographer showed up for an interview. His mother called to him several times in Spanish during the course of about an hour, trying to persuade him to meet his guests.

He finally walked into the living room to have his picture taken. He stood next to his mother, put his arm around her and smiled for a photo. He then sat on the sofa’s armrest and played with the family dog — a 3-pound Chihuahua named JLo.

He offered only brief answers to personal questions.

When he’s around his peers though, it’s a different story.

“He’s kind of a jokester,” said his basketball coach Jose Otero. “He’s a great kid. He’s always happy. He’s a jokester, has a lot of energy, a decent student too.”

Ivan wears his game face on the basketball court, playing point guard and shooting guard.

“He’s our energy,” Otero said. “Real talented ... One of our best players on the team.”

Ivan talked about music and sports with ease. He listed his favorite basketball players — Tracy McGrady of the Houston Rockets and Lebron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers. He said his favorite team right now is the Celtics. He likes rap, hip hop and reggae. He listed several of the communities he competes against in basketball: Methuen, Westford and Brookline.

When the subject turned to his little brother and the accident on the river, his voice became softer. He said he and his friends don’t discuss it.

“Nobody really talks about it,” he said.

Otero said Ivan doesn’t discuss the tragedy at the Boys and Girls Club.

“It’s a sensitive subject. So we don’t bring it up,” Otero said.

One more day

When asked what he would say to his brother if they had one last day together, Ivan sat silently on his couch. He stared toward his hands resting near his knees. He fidgeted, rubbing a small piece of clear plastic with his fingers.

“I don’t know,” he replied.

Christopher would have turned 12 on Dec. 28. He died two weeks before his eighth birthday. He was the outgoing child. The youngest of three boys, he had a wide grin and boundless enthusiasm. Jacqueline remembered that Christopher was so excited during a trip to Canobie Lake Park in Salem, N.H., that he tried to be first in line for rides.

Ivan, the middle child, has a small, meek smile. He speaks slowly and quietly. He whistles softly when he walks.

“Christopher was like me, but he (Ivan) was shy,” Jacqueline said.

Separated in age by only two years, Ivan and Christopher played side by side. They attended the Guilmette School. Christopher was in the second grade and Ivan was in the fourth at the time of Christopher’s death. Both boys liked basketball and video games.

They could have passed for twins. Ivan was about an inch taller, and they each had shaved heads. Both boys were thin, but Christopher’s face had more baby fat.

Ivan’s older brother, Harold, 19, is a freshman at Salem State College. He lives on campus and returns home on the weekends. Harold declined to be interviewed for this story.

Ivan and Harold get along, save the occasional tiff over clothing, Jacqueline said. Jacqueline is a native of the Dominican Republic, and her sons were born in the United States.

Christopher is buried next to Victor Baez and Mackendy Constant — two of the boys who died in the drowning. Jacqueline visits Christopher’s grave a few times a week, usually with Victor’s mother, Thelma Gomez. Ivan tags along on occasion.

“Sometimes when it’s his (Christopher’s) birthday, Ivan comes,” Jacqueline said.

Harold visits about once a year, she said.

Ivan has kept in touch with the other two boys who survived the river. He has remained especially close to Francis.

“They are like brothers,” Jacqueline said.

Ivan sees Jaycob less frequently.

“I see Jaycob, like sometimes I play basketball with him,” he said.

If he had one day left with Christopher, Ivan would pick up where they left off — having fun with video games, basketball or some other sport.

In a quiet tone, he says the two would “probably play something.”

Merrimack River tragedy: Five years later

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Survivor bravely goes on with his life never forgetting little Christopher

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