Hewlett’s Jonathan Welsh ’emotional’ over 2-year-old daughter’s fundraiser event

Hewlett assistant boys basketball coach Jonathon Welsh received nightmare news that would make any parent of a toddler crumble.

Welsh learned that his bubbly 2-year-old daughter, Rowyn Grace, was battling an extremely rare genetic mutation that turns her tissue and blood vessels “dangerously fragile.”

“She’s a talker, she speaks and is a funny 2-year-old,” Welsh told The Post.

“And has no idea why she’s in pain or what she’s going through,” he said, adding that his little trooper is also fighting through chronic kidney disease.

The issue with her mutated COL4A1 gene, of which Welsh said there are fewer than 1,000 documented cases, could result in internal bleeding and other medical nightmares that come with chronic pediatric illness.

The family of four originally sought to keep its hardships private, but ultimately opened up to the Hewlett school community about Rowyn Grace, who received a touching outpouring of support from the area.

A close friend and teacher, Andrew DeBernardo, proposed using the power of Bulldogs basketball to rally behind the young girl, who, like her older sister Rhyan, is often seen with a clipboard and whistle at practice.

With that, the Rowyn Grace Classic was born.

This Saturday, Hewlett will host an all-day fundraiser tournament in partnership with the Michael Magro Foundation, which has been a “lifeline” for the Welsh family as they navigate their little one’s future.

“I’ve been emotional all week as it’s starting to all come together, just the outpouring of alumni, the community that’s involved,” said Welsh, also the school’s head softball coach.

The Bulldogs girls JV and varsity teams will play Jericho at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., respectively, while the boys JV takes on Long Beach at noon before the big varsity game at 2 p.m.

Welsh, with Rowyn Grace in attendance, will address the packed crowd before taking the court as she gets a well-deserved raucous ovation.

“My wife doesn’t think I’m going to make it past the first line of my speech,” he said.

“It’s going to be overwhelming at first, for sure, but I know my oldest is going to take some pompoms and be the biggest cheerleader.”