[dropcap]L[/dropcap]ike many kids his age, incoming Lehman High freshman Michael Alegria’s hobbies centered on his friends.
Hanging out with his buddies, along with video gaming and a passion for art, are all things Alegria has enjoyed.
“All around he’s a good kid,” Sandy Blanco, Michael’s mother, said. “He gets good grades in school. He took a couple of (Advanced Placement) classes last year and in the 7th grade.”
Little did Blanco realize that a trip to the doctor’s office this May would drastically change their lives. After being diagnosed with a rare form of lymphoma, a type of blood cancer that develops in the lymphatic system, Alegria now starts his treatment.
Behind him is an army of Hays CISD friends and educators who plan to help in the form of a blood drive to help him battle the disease.
The diagnosis
Alegria didn’t look the part of a severely ill child the day he was diagnosed.
Blanco said her son looked healthy, but complained of some chest and side pains. Initially, Blanco believed it could have been related to conditioning exercises her son took part in with the Chapa Middle School football team.
Doctors initially began with x-rays, which showed what medical professionals thought was a broken rib. Soon the tests progressed to a CT-scan, which showed a mass surrounding a rib in his chest.
A trip was set up to MD Anderson in Houston to confirm what the doctors had preliminarily diagnosed. It was there Blanco and her family were told the mass was rare, non-genetic form of lymphoma and that Alegria would soon have to start treatment.
“It was devastating,” Blanco said. “It was something that never crossed our minds.”
Treating the monster
Alegria stayed strong despite the earth-shattering news, trying to stay positive as much as possible when he began his treatments, Blanco said.
But with each treatment given, new symptoms arrived.
Perhaps the hardest point for Alegria was losing his hair, Blanco said.
“He has his low points, but he lets us in when he lets us,” Blanco said.
Helping the family cope with the treatments was Carolyn Ramirez, whose family has lived across the street from Alegria since 2005.
Like many, Ramirez said shock and “fear of the unknown” were initial reactions to news of Alegria’s diagnosis.
Soon she and others began to reach out to the family in order to help them navigate through “this horrible time.”
She said the reasoning was Alegria’s family has been “wonderful for all of these years” and that it was the least they could do for them.
“It’s a time that most families never want to go through and never have to expect to go through. It’s been a hard and trying time for them and we wanted to help them as much as we can."
– Carolyn Ramirez, neighbor of Michael Alegria.
It was that support system that helped Blanco come up with the idea to host a blood donation drive to help Alegria’s treatment.
Giving back to one of their own
During the course of Alegria’s treatments, blood transfusions are conducted in order to counteract low blood platelet counts. The transfusion is done to help prevent illnesses during the course of treatments.
Alegria has so far had four chemotherapy treatments, with two blood transfusions, with another potentially on the horizon.
Doctors recommended Blanco host a blood donation drive to help give her son the platelets he needs to stay healthy.
Ramirez said she and Blanco talked about the idea for a few weeks. The two then reached out to the “We are Blood” center, which helped set up a donation date.
It didn’t take long for the community to pitch in their assistance.
Within 24 hours of posting the drive on Facebook, all available time slots for the drive were filled, Blanco said.
Ramirez said We are Blood will have an extra worker on site to take any walk-ups.
Helping spread the word of the drive was Hays CISD, which posted the drive on its Facebook page.
“The outpouring of love is amazing,” Ramirez said. “We understand not everyone is in a situation to donate blood, but people have extended their prayers for the family and have shared the post to others.”
Blanco said the family is considering the option of setting up a gofundme account.
For Blanco, the outpouring of assistance, both near and far, has been overwhelming “in a good way.”
“It’s just amazing. It’s heart warming. We never experienced anything like this,” Blanco said. “To have so many people you don’t even know help out, it’s incredible.”
Want to help?
The blood drive for Michael Alegria will be held Friday, Aug. 11 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
