Blog — Beneficiary Bio

“When he was jumping around and fell from a chair, a hardened dot formed on his foot, and we thought it was just a result of him falling,” she says. “But the tiny bump continued to grow, and we couldn’t ignore it.”

At first doctors told her it was a cyst and there was nothing to worry about. However, it didn’t go away and after a few months, Diane requested more action to be taken. An MRI and biopsy revealed that Adrian had a very rare form of soft tissue sarcoma. Just six years old, Adrian was now in the fight of his life against childhood cancer.

“It came as a shock – how could this be? It was so hard because everything moved so quickly. He had two surgeries in one week and then started chemotherapy immediately. My husband and I went through the motions of feeling sad, angry, scared and it really was all overwhelming.”

Adrian’s left pinky toe was removed to try to stop the spread of the cancer, and a port was inserted to receive chemo. Unfortunately, the cancer spread quickly from Adrian’s foot into his lymph nodes and bone marrow. For months, the chemotherapy he was receiving was not responding, and cancer cells were found in his spine. Adrian is now on a higher dose of chemotherapy three days in a row, which is very hard on his tiny, fragile body.

His mom says that although the cancer is strong, he’s stronger. “He is resilient, and so brave.”

When Adrian’s teacher referred him as a recipient for 26 Shirts, Diane says both her and her husband felt instantly supported and like they weren’t in this fight alone.

“Especially in Buffalo, you don’t have to know people and they still send their love, positivity and strength. Every person in Buffalo always goes above and beyond. The community is there to support you – you feel the love and support from afar.”

Adrian Gomez’s 26 Shirt campaign launched 5/17 and runs through 5/30. This story provided in partnership with Hope Rises at www.hoperisesnews.com

“It all started even before she was born,” says Stephanie. “I had a lot of problems prenatal, but doctors weren’t quite sure what was wrong and even after she was born, she passed all health checks.”

However, Sophie was not gaining weight and her tiny body struggled with nursing. Every time she tried to eat, Sophie could not swallow properly and would aspirate. Stephanie says at just five-weeks-old, she had immediate surgery to have a gastrostomy tube or feeding tube inserted. Through 11-months, Sophie only took in liquids through her g tube.

“Sophie was eventually diagnosed with Pallister-Hall Syndrome, an extremely rare condition with less than 100 diagnosed cases in history. There is a man diagnosed with Pallister-Hall in Australia that we have reached out to, but there really isn’t much information out there.”

Since the diagnosis, the family has asked many questions regarding Sophie’s health, but there have not been many answers. In her short and fragile life, Sophie has undergone ten surgeries and also deals with hypoglycemia, causing complications with her blood sugar, as well as a hematoma in her brain, which could eventually lead to blindness.

“My husband and I were in zombie mode when she was a baby and even now it’s extremely difficult, but we are all adapting,” Stephanie says. “One thing I can say loud and proud is that Sophie faces so many obstacles, but she adapts to them all. Her complex condition is a tough pill to swallow, but she has changed me as a person for the better.”

The family is tight knit, with Sophie having a six-year-old brother, who is also impacted by the struggles of her critical condition. The family are die-hard Buffalo sports fans and think so highly of the impact the community has in helping those in need. That’s why when they heard about a shirt drop for Sophie, they were “over the moon” thrilled to have awareness around Sophie’s journey.

“26 Shirts…Buffalo…WNY and this campaign give me hope. Sometimes it all seems like too much, but then things like this come up and I feel hopeful,” Stephanie explains.