Jesus has faced his journey with remarkable strength, determination, and an unwavering spirit.
Jesus is a special young man; he is 17 and has down syndrome. He is very active and strong and plays basketball at his high school. He loves to paint pictures, dance, and do puzzles in his free time.
When Jesus was born, he had some heart problems and he had three open heart surgeries by the time he was 13. His heart is now doing well.
About three years ago, Jesus started to get pain in his left leg when he was running and playing basketball. He started getting a small blister on the knee of that same leg. Doctors thought it was psoriasis and started treating it as so, but the blister kept growing. After a long time of blood tests and blood draws, in January of 2025, Jesus was diagnosed with Leukemia.
His treatment has been long and hard on his body, accompanied by long stays in the hospital. He has needed many blood and platelet transfusions and because of his treatment, has had to relearn how to walk.
Jesus is still in active treatment but is doing much better, only having to go in every 3 months for treatment now. With the help of therapies and medicine, he is now walking again and is more like himself.
He is homeschooled because of his diagnosis, and his teacher says he seems to be responding better to schoolwork now and is smarter every day. Jesus is hoping to be able to go back to in person school soon and rejoin his teammates on the basketball team.
Throughout every challenge, Jesus has faced his journey with remarkable strength, determination, and an unwavering spirit. From learning to walk again to continuing his education and working toward returning to the basketball court he loves, he continues to inspire everyone around him. While there are still hurdles ahead, Jesus’ progress is a testament to his resilience and the support of those who stand beside him. As he continues treatment, his family looks forward to the day he can once again join his classmates and teammates in person, doing the things that bring him so much joy.
