The Varsity and JV cheerleaders have been sporting gold accessories throughout the month of September to help bring awareness to Childhood Cancer. This article is written in remembrance of Avaree Grace Perez, who fought bravely against Transient Leukemia until she passed away on May 9, 2017 at the age of six months.

Avaree was the daughter to one of our very own bobcat family members, Spanish teacher and cheer sponsor, Eva Perez. Avaree was born with Transient Leukemia which caused her liver to be enlarged and made chemotherapy necessary.

“After Avaree received one round of chemotherapy she was doing better, but within 4 weeks she was transferred to Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH) in Houston, Texas to await her heart repair because she was also born with a congenital heart defect,” Perez said.

She describes their stay at the hospital as “bittersweet”. TCH was extremely well equipped with a great staff and had a weekly support group for parents to share their experiences with one another.

“I encountered and met so many families with very unique stories. All of us were in pretty similar situations,” Perez said.

However, it was extremely difficult having to watch her child fight for her life.

“It is truly awful when you can’t control what is going on with your baby,” Perez said. “All you could do is humble yourself before God and pray for the best.”

Mrs. Perez’s time with Avaree was short, but they were able to make happy, cherished memories together despite their circumstances.

“I loved when I was able to hold her, listening to her make sounds, looking in her beautiful eyes and knowing that she knew exactly what was going on,” Perez said. “Holding hands was one of her favorite things to do and taking her a bath was mine.”

Mrs. Perez believes it is important for others to educate themselves on the early signs of childhood cancer so that way they can be on the look out for symptoms and possibly save their child’s life.

“If I knew then what I know now, maybe our journey and outcome would have been different,” Mrs. Perez said. “No one ever knows when childhood cancer will strike their family/loved ones. It is so common, yet we never stop to think about it until it’s our own reality. I truly admire everyone who has embraced the Go Gold campaign, it’s the best way of educating those around us about childhood cancer.”