Santiago fights DIPG

Thank you for taking a moment to visit our page.  I'd like for you to meet my incredibly handsome, sweet and intelligent nephew Santiago Lopez.  This amazing little boy just turned 10 on December 8.  Santiago is an absolute ray of sunshine and anyone who's had the pleasure of meeting him will tell you just that!  He is well mannered and always kind to others.  A true little gentleman.  Dinosaurs and Legos are his favorite toys.  If you ask him what he wants to be when he grows up he'll tell you a paleontologist.  It's no wonder his favorite movie is Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom.  He's definitely a carnivore!  His favorite foods are ribs, turkey legs, chicken, hamburgers and pizza.  Santiago is loved so much by his entire family.  His little sister Soliya and he are like two peas in a pod, they are constantly looking out for each other.  He's the best big brother any sister could have.  Santiago and his dad Cesar have a special father son relationship.  They are best buds and love telling jokes.  If anyone knows my brother in law, then you know what a character he is.  Well the apple doesn't fall far from the tree because Santiago is exactly like him.  The are definitely the life of every party!  Santiago is any mother's dream child.  The kindness of his heart and sweet demeanor makes everyone fall in love with him instantly.  Santiago absolutely adores his mother Andrea.  Everything he does is to make my sister happy.  He is always putting her first and has her on a pedestal.  Their relationship is unlike anything I've ever seen which is why this news is breaking our hearts.

On Thanksgiving a few weeks ago Cesar and Andrea took Santiago to the ER after noticing he had not been acting himself.  He was vomiting, having headaches and his balance was a little off.  That trip to the ER would completely change their lives forever.  An MRI revealed every parents worst nightmare.  Doctors found a tumor on Santiago's brain.  He was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) which is a very rare, aggressive and inoperable brain cancer.  The tumor is formed on the brain stem (pons) which is the area that controls most basic functions such as eating, breathing, walking, vision and balance.  The worst part is that there is no cure.  Santiago is currently undergoing radiation therapy.  Through this entire process Santiago has been positive and a fighter.  He is definitely the strongest person I've ever met.  

As you can imagine our family is rocked to the core.  There are no words to explain the agony we are feeling.  The pain is unbearable.  Though this pain and the shock is still fresh we as a family would like to provide Santiago's family with some financial support.  The hope is to relieve some stress from them and allow them to continue to spend precious time with Santiago and not have to worry about working during this difficult time.   We ask that even if you are not able to donate, to please keep Santiago and our family in your prayers.  At this point all we ask is for a miracle!  Please share our page and thank you from the bottom of our hearts for taking the time to read about our sweet boy Santiago.