Friends of Alex Torres
Donation protected
Our friend Alex Torres has always been there for others. Now, as he deals with medical challenges, he needs us to be there for him. We have known him for twenty years since he was my brother Nico's roommate at St. Thomas University and can vouch that he has earned our support many times over.
After a 15 year career in public education as a teacher, coach, and administrator serving underserved populations, he founded Crossroads Scholarship Fund, a non-profit that helps eradicate poverty through education. His foundation provides scholarships, mentorship, and stewardship to first-generation college attendees. For 10 years he has dedicated all of his time to raising funds for and running Crossroads, often without any financial compensation. The money that he raises for Crossroads goes to the scholars first. Only when their needs are met does he pay himself, and their needs are never met.
Alex's friends know him as the most caring, generous, and friendly person they have ever met.
An active athlete, Alex has always enjoyed running in marathons, triathlons, and other events to raise money for good causes such as the MS 150 or to honor friends he has lost or encourage others battling sicknesses.
For the last four years, Alex has been experiencing worsening debilitating neurological symptoms. At first, his condition was dismissed by some of the most respected doctors in Austin. Dismayed but not defeated, Alex pressed on searching for answers. As his condition worsened, the excruciating pain was compounded by the loss of motor function in his arms and legs, sending a clear indication something was going seriously wrong. After dozens of additional medical visits and tests, Alex was left with few answers, but mounting medical bills and a very limited medical insurance plan
Realizing that he would not be able to afford continued testing and treatment and feeling that he was hitting a diagnostic wall in the U.S., Alex went home to Guadalajara, Mexico (a 14-hour drive from Austin where he lives) to visit a group of renowned doctors in the field of neurology and auto-immune disorders. There, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), a rare, incurable, and disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord.
Thanks to the support of his family, and some close friends (and credit cards!), Alex was able to start a customized treatment plan to match the aggressive nature of his illness. It includes plasmaphereses, a highly specialized cocktail of immunosuppressive medications to slow down the disease, and intensive physical therapy to salvage as much motor function as possible. Alex is facing an uphill battle, but he is determined to keep going. He cannot let his condition keep him from carrying out his mission.
Unfortunately, his treatments are extremely expensive even though they are a fraction of the cost in Mexico that they would be in the US. This is why we have come together to support Alex.
For years, Alex has focused on helping others, raising money for children's education, volunteering his time, and support his family and friends. Even though Alex has been reluctant to let us share his story and ask others for support, we know that he not only needs our help at this time but can't think of anyone more deserving than him.
We are asking for donations to help cover Alex's medical treatment, which is estimated to cost between $20,000-$25,000 USD over the next year. Also, Alex has already racked up over $10,000 in debt to cover his testing and treatments thus far. We know that these are difficult times for everyone given COVID and the recession, but we also know that everyone has a little bit of Alex in them--that desire to help others and to be there for them when they need it the most.
Please take a minute to contribute whatever you can to help Alex get the treatment that he needs. Trust us when we say that investing in Alex's health is a win-win. We can’t wait to see him healthy and back at work helping first-generation students get the help and resources they need to succeed!
Thank you!!!
After a 15 year career in public education as a teacher, coach, and administrator serving underserved populations, he founded Crossroads Scholarship Fund, a non-profit that helps eradicate poverty through education. His foundation provides scholarships, mentorship, and stewardship to first-generation college attendees. For 10 years he has dedicated all of his time to raising funds for and running Crossroads, often without any financial compensation. The money that he raises for Crossroads goes to the scholars first. Only when their needs are met does he pay himself, and their needs are never met.
Alex's friends know him as the most caring, generous, and friendly person they have ever met.
An active athlete, Alex has always enjoyed running in marathons, triathlons, and other events to raise money for good causes such as the MS 150 or to honor friends he has lost or encourage others battling sicknesses.
For the last four years, Alex has been experiencing worsening debilitating neurological symptoms. At first, his condition was dismissed by some of the most respected doctors in Austin. Dismayed but not defeated, Alex pressed on searching for answers. As his condition worsened, the excruciating pain was compounded by the loss of motor function in his arms and legs, sending a clear indication something was going seriously wrong. After dozens of additional medical visits and tests, Alex was left with few answers, but mounting medical bills and a very limited medical insurance plan
Realizing that he would not be able to afford continued testing and treatment and feeling that he was hitting a diagnostic wall in the U.S., Alex went home to Guadalajara, Mexico (a 14-hour drive from Austin where he lives) to visit a group of renowned doctors in the field of neurology and auto-immune disorders. There, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), a rare, incurable, and disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord.
Thanks to the support of his family, and some close friends (and credit cards!), Alex was able to start a customized treatment plan to match the aggressive nature of his illness. It includes plasmaphereses, a highly specialized cocktail of immunosuppressive medications to slow down the disease, and intensive physical therapy to salvage as much motor function as possible. Alex is facing an uphill battle, but he is determined to keep going. He cannot let his condition keep him from carrying out his mission.
Unfortunately, his treatments are extremely expensive even though they are a fraction of the cost in Mexico that they would be in the US. This is why we have come together to support Alex.
For years, Alex has focused on helping others, raising money for children's education, volunteering his time, and support his family and friends. Even though Alex has been reluctant to let us share his story and ask others for support, we know that he not only needs our help at this time but can't think of anyone more deserving than him.
We are asking for donations to help cover Alex's medical treatment, which is estimated to cost between $20,000-$25,000 USD over the next year. Also, Alex has already racked up over $10,000 in debt to cover his testing and treatments thus far. We know that these are difficult times for everyone given COVID and the recession, but we also know that everyone has a little bit of Alex in them--that desire to help others and to be there for them when they need it the most.
Please take a minute to contribute whatever you can to help Alex get the treatment that he needs. Trust us when we say that investing in Alex's health is a win-win. We can’t wait to see him healthy and back at work helping first-generation students get the help and resources they need to succeed!
Thank you!!!
Co-organizers (2)
Tomas Bilbao
Organizer
Austin, TX
Alex Torres
Beneficiary
Nico Bilbao
Co-organizer