A fundraiser in Orlando is helping a young man battling cancer.
- Fundraiser held for young man battling cancer
- Alvin Dariel Hernandez was recently diagnosed with leukemia
- He came to Florida after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico
The community came together with food and music to raise funds for Alvin Dariel Hernandez.
Hernandez loves to dance and sing. Despite only being 23-years-old, he’s already had to face leukemia, diabetes and he was also born with Down syndrome.
Hernandez and his mother Ivette Castillo were placed in one of the first humanitarian flights from Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria and now they live in Orlando. But the journey hasn’t been easy.
“It’s very difficult because you lose everything-- a home, safety, security, my job…everything,” Castillo said.
A fundraiser was put together by a number of musical groups that play Plena, a genre of music native to the island.
All funds raised are meant to help Hernandez and his mom find affordable housing near the Florida Hospital for Children and a mode of transportation to make it to doctor appointments.
Castillo hopes this music to some extent has some sort of healing power over her son.
“This type of music unifies everybody and every time there is an incident,” said Alberto Delgado, a musician and organizer of the event. “Or there is a need to help one of our friends, one of our family members. We get together and we do it.”
Hernandez is currently in need of a Bone Marrow biopsy to determine the next steps in his treatment.
If you would like help this family, visit the family's GoFundMe page.
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