Volunteer Highlight
By: Daniella Martinez, Client & Volunteer Relations Specialist
This month we are highlighting a wonderful volunteer that always goes above and beyond to make sure his clients get what they need. Antony Alvarado is a two-time brain cancer survivor from the age of 9.
He grew up and still lives in Wilmington, CA in the southern region of Los Angeles. Antony is currently beginning his senior year of his undergraduate education at the University of Rochester, in Rochester, NY.
At his university, he studies biochemistry and studio art photography. He is also preparing to apply and enter medical school in the fall of 2023. This is what he had to say about his cancer journey: “My cancer journey at first felt as if my life had been derailed, but over the years I have realized my track was just shifted a bit (or maybe a lot). Eleven years later, and counting, I am a survivor who finds purpose in gardening, photography, and an aspiring career as a physician scientist who will be there to help cancer patients in my efforts as a patient mentor, physician in clinic, and scientist in the laboratory”.
Antony was a part of the very first CanCare Virtual training, class 100th. Antony shares that during the start of the COVID pandemic and having abruptly moved back home from college, he felt locked in his space. He wanted to have an outlet of connection with others while also minimizing risk of contracting COVID-19. One day as he did some searching on the internet for cancer volunteer programs, he came across CanCare and reached out to us to see if training was available virtually. Two months later he graduated from training.
Thank you, Antony, for all that you do. We can’t wait to call you Dr. Alvarado!
