CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Out of the nearly 200 students at Bishop Garriga Middle School, all of them have been affected by cancer in one way or another.
“I had an uncle, and he died from cancer. The way he fought… it gets really sad,” seventh-grader Madelyn Garza.
“In 2015 my Tio Jaime was diagnosed with colon cancer, he fought for about a good two years but I went to go visit him on November 11th, and that's the last time i saw him,” said eighth-grader Victoria Cantu.
But what started five years ago as a fundraising walk supporting breast cancer survivors has now evolved to honor those fighting any type of cancer. The students raise money by paying $2 to wear jeans on Fridays, and making a donation to participate in the walk.
This includes the middle school's own principal, Mr. Gonzalez, who currently is fighting his own battle with colon cancer. He is the reason most of these kids donate.
What began as a small event six years ago is now a full-on event. For the last four years, St. John Paul II High School also has participated. This year, the American Cancer Society, along with a Texas A&M-Corpus Christi nutritionist were on-site to remind everyone of the importance of early screenings.
All of the money the students raised is donated to the American Cancer Society.
