HOUSTON – Alejandro Mendoza is a special 7-year-old.
His personality lights up a room.
He brings joy to everyone around him with his smile and the twinkle in his eye.
He’s a happy kid, even though he’s been fighting cancer for nearly half of his short life.
“He's over the top, I could say. He loves attention. He is such a loving child. He loves everyone. He worries about every single person," said Alejandro’s mom, Maria.
Alejandro was first diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia when he was 4. He endured a two-year course of chemotherapy. That included an eight-month stay at Texas Children’s Hospital while fighting a fungal infection during his cancer treatment.
He was isolated inside the hospital walls the whole time. No playgrounds. No parks. None of the simple pleasures that other kids his age were able to enjoy.
Eventually, Alejandro beat his cancer. He was cancer-free for 14 months.
Then, at the end of June, Alejandro relapsed. His cancer returned.
This time, he needs a bone marrow transplant to survive, but his spirits remain high.
He loves to sing and dance and make others happy. And, even though he’s fighting for his own life, he naturally helps other kids in the hospital cope with their treatment.
It’s no surprise that his mom is proud.
“He gives motivation to other people and he’s such a happy child, a loving child. He doesn’t deserve to be going through this,” Maria said.
Click on this link to find out how to donate bone marrow.
KPRC2's Eric Braate met Alejandro through the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
Click on this link to donate to Braate's Countdown to Kona.
Here is some background on how the two met:
"I met Alejandro on June 3rd, a month ago, when I emceed the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Man and Woman of the Year Fundraising Gala. Alejandro is the 2017 Boy of the Year. He's a ray of sunshine. Bright, energetic and gregarious seven-year-old. He steals the show wherever he goes! When I met Alejandro, he was cancer-free. He had beaten ALL, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia after being diagnosed at the age of four. It took eight months of isolation within Texas Children's Hospital and two years of chemotherapy to beat it. No small feat for someone so young!"
To read more about their relationship, click here.
To donate to Braate's campaign, click here.
