Fresno, California (KFSN) – You can’t say it by his constant smile, but Gabriel Garcia’s daily life is anything but normal.
“He still lives every day as if nothing was bad with him,” said his mother, Crystal Martinez.
As a wrestler at Sunnyside High in Fresno, Garcia was injured in training one day.
“It kept worsening, I started losing the movement in my arm and finally decided to go to the doctor after a month,” he said.
A simple exam has turned into a discovery that changes their life for the 16 -year -old.
“They said it could have been cancer, and I didn’t think about it,” he said.
A biopsy revealed that Garcia had a stage 4 osteosarcoma, an extremely rare form of bone cancer that spreads to its lungs.
The treatment of cancer has moved him away from his daily routine at school, but teachers like Katie Botallo have always left Garcia to visit the course to see her friends.
“When you’re not sick, you don’t think anyone is there to support you,” he said. “But when you get sick, it’s like:” Oh, I have a lot of people. “”
No one knows this situation better than his mother, Crystal.
Six years ago, Martinez fought and beat her own fight with cervical cancer.
“I prefer to start again,” she said.
Like her son, she makes you smile, but the harsh reality always comes back.
“Extremely difficult,” she said. “It is really dark. There are a lot of times I sit in my car and cry.”
A particular Friday, Garcia thinks that we visit the campus to talk about his trip.
What he doesn’t know is that there is a surprise in store.
Garcia thinks he is participating in a Super Bowl lunch gathering with his friends.
So far, he is perfect on the questions, but he would never have guessed the final answer.
Thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Garcia obtained tickets for the Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans.
In partnership with the NFL, Garcia is one of the 19 children only towards the Grand Easy for a unique five -day experience.
“I thought they were lying to me,” he said. “I did my year. The best thing that could happen. I’m just happy, lost for words. I’m just excited.”
While the excitement sets in, she returned to treatment a few days later.
“It’s easier than chemo, and it’s just a step to get closer,” said Garcia.
With his wish, another series of radiation awaits Garcia.
“Your skin is burned and all kinds of things,” he said.
The pain marks an important step in its fight of almost nine months.
“Super excited to ring the bell,” he said.
It is a sound meaning the last cycle of influence, a sound giving a mother hope.
“Often, he gives me strength,” said Crystal.
For Garcia, the battle begins and ends with a smile.
“You don’t want anyone sad to you,” he said. “Better to make it easy than hard.”
A hard lesson he brings to the great easy to see the chefs and the Eagles play for the Lombardi trophy.
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