Son Of Dade Police Officer Needs Your Help To Fight Cancer
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - The two-year old son of a Miami-Dade Police officer and a Hialeah Police dispatcher has been fighting the biggest battle of his young life. After finally going into remission from cancer in June, Alex Flores has relapsed and is back in the hospital.
Now Alex needs a procedure his parents, Marvin and Venessa, hope the community may actually be able to help him with.
"We were pretty much told, 'hey, he's doing great. We might even be able to take out the port', Marvin Flores told CBS4's Donna Rapado. "I mean when you hear that it's because everything is going good."
Alex was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia in January, just days before his second birthday. After weeks of hospital stays, several intense rounds of chemotherapy, painful spinal taps and endless poking and prodding, Marvin and Venessa were finally able to take him home in June.
But during a celebratory trip to Disney World days later, things went wrong.
"He was just lethargic, he didn't wanna play," Marvin explained. "You know, when he goes to Disney he goes crazy. And he just didn't wanna do anything."
The cancer was back.
"It's hard because when we got out of here we thought we had our lives back. But it lasted for about five weeks. I mean, it was great. It was great being back home and everything. And, just to be sucked back in..."
They rushed Alex to an Orlando hospital where he underwent brain surgery. A special pediatric intensive care ambulance then transferred the two-year old back to Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Hollywood.
He's been quarantined in the same room since July second, IV's in both his little hands, a large scar across his round little head.
Only his mom and dad are allowed inside with him.
In cell phone video they shot of Alex for CBS4 he giggled gently and played with his toys. But despite his giggles, you could see just how tired he is by looking into his big blue eyes.
"It's kinda hard seeing him there because, you know, I think he's even a little traumatized of everything that's going on," Marvin tells Rapado. He can't stand people touching him anymore. It's just too much. The other day he had a crying fit. But it wasn't because of pain. It was a frustration. Like, 'I don't wanna deal with this anymore. I was crying next to him, too. He was holding his face into the pillow. His thing is 'done'. And he was like 'done!' That broke my heart," he said, fighting back tears.
Now Alex, Marvin, a Miami-Dade Police officer, and Venessa, a Hialeah Police Dispatcher, hope the community will help with a procedure they'd hoped all along Alex would not need: a bone marrow transplant.
"We have to find a donor. Which, so far we haven't found anybody yet. So we're doing a search. Nothing yet. But hopefully somebody turns up."
Two bone marrow drives are planned this week.
The first is on Monday at the Hialeah Fire Administration building at 83 E. 5 Street from 9am to 4pm.
The second is Wednesday from 10am to 3pm at the Miami-Dade Police Headquarters in Doral. The address is 9105 SW 25 Street.
It's just a simple swab of your cheek and some paperwork. You need ID and must be between 18 and 44 years old.
