One courageous young man’s long and difficult fight with leukemia is now in remission, and friends and family had a special way to celebrate.

Friends and family celebrated his accomplishment and completion of his journey by “ringing the bells” at Peek’n Peak. 

Aiden Zapheris-Mack, 19, skied down the slopes of Peek’n Peak Friday night where he was surprised by dozens of friends and family waiting for him at the bottom of the hill. They were celebrating Aiden’s remission from leukemia.

“We gathered people at the peek tonight to do a traditional bell ringing to celebrate the end of treatment. Earlier today at the children’s hospital in Pittsburgh, we rang the bell together as a family with our doctors and care team. But there were so many other people who were there for us as our support who we wanted to share in our joy tonight,” said Anne Zapheris, Aiden’s mother.

Aiden was a former ski instructor at the peak and spent much of his childhood there too.

“It’s kind of surreal — all my friends in one place again which has probably been two and a half years since it happened,” said Aiden Zapheris-Mack.

He spent the past two and half years enduring chemotherapy.

“It does not seem like that long of a time, but when you are down and out throughout those two and a half years, it gets stretched out a lot. This is probably the place that I’m the happiest in the world,” Zapheris-Mack added.

“It is overwhelming, but this is the support that kept us going during the toughest days anyone could ever imagine and support in the form of phone calls and food and just caring,” Anne Zapheris said.

Aiden is a graduate of Mercyhurst Prep and currently attends Duquesne University.