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Orlando is 13 years old and the identical twin brother of Lorenzo. He also has three sisters; Hazel, Jazlyn, and Evaleia. He is an active, competitive teenage boy who loves sports, gaming, and spending time with his friends. Baseball is his absolute favorite sport to play.
Back in December 2025, Orlando started complaining about mid-back pain. We took him to the doctor, where x-rays and labs all came back normal. At the time, there were no signs pointing toward anything serious. He had recently gone through a growth spurt, so we assumed maybe growing pains were contributing to his discomfort.
We tried everything we could think of, stretches, hydration, topical creams, patches, over-the-counter medications, chiropractic care but nothing helped. Over the next few months, the pain worsened and moved into his lower back. It began affecting school, sports, and daily life. He eventually had to miss activities he loved, including track.
On Wednesday, May 6th, 2026, we returned to the doctor yet again. More labs, more x-rays, stronger medication, and physical therapy were ordered.
The next day, Orlando went on his 7th grade field trip to the Iowa Cubs game in Des Moines. Even though he was hurting, baseball meant too much to him to miss it. When he left the house that morning, he was still walking normally, just in pain and mentioning a “funny feeling” in his feet.
While at the game, everything changed.
Orlando suddenly lost strength and mobility in his legs and collapsed. His teachers, friends and school staff were incredible. They helped him into a wheelchair and safely got him home. I immediately took him to the ER at Iowa Specialty Hospital in Clarion, where we spent nearly five hours with no answers. Again, tests and x-rays appeared normal.
The following morning, Friday, we went to the pediatric ER at Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines. We explained everything that had been happening since December and voiced our concerns that something serious was being missed. We knew he needed advanced imaging, but insurance repeatedly wasn’t going to approve an MRI without jumping through their hoops.
At first, the ER planned to schedule the MRI outpatient due to insurance restrictions. But Orlando’s condition was rapidly declining. Within less than 24 hours, he had gone from walking independently to struggling to move and losing the ability to urinate normally.
Finally, an emergency MRI was approved.
That MRI changed our lives forever.
Doctors discovered a mass on Orlando’s spine at T12-L1. We were immediately told he needed to be transferred to University of Iowa Children’s Hospital in Iowa City. What was originally supposed to be an ambulance ride quickly turned into a Life Flight helicopter transport.
The longest 45 minutes of my life.
After additional scans and evaluations, doctors determined emergency surgery was necessary. Early Saturday morning, Orlando underwent spinal surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible. Due to the dangerous location, including involvement near the spine and bone, they could not safely remove all of it.
After surgery, Orlando spent several days in the PICU before being transferred to the pediatric cancer floor.
Soon after, we received the diagnosis no parent is ever prepared to hear:
Orlando has Ewing Sarcoma.
Additional testing showed no cancer in his lungs, and his PET scan thankfully revealed no other areas of concern beyond the remaining tumor at T12-L1. He underwent bone marrow biopsies and had a port placed for chemotherapy treatments and lab work.
On Friday, May 15th, Orlando began his first round of chemotherapy. He completed his second day of chemo the following day and was able to come home afterward for a “rest week.” We will continue traveling back and forth to Iowa City for treatment, labs, scans, and hospital stays throughout this journey.
His treatment plan currently includes:
• 28 total weeks
• 14 weeks of chemotherapy
• Radiation treatments
• 14 “rest” weeks between cycles
• Possible additional hospital admissions depending on labs and complications
Through all of this, Orlando has remained incredibly strong, brave, and resilient, but he is also a 13-year-old boy whose entire life changed overnight.
As a family, we are trying to adjust to this new normal physically, emotionally, and financially. Between extended hospital stays, travel, meals, missed work, medications, and the many unexpected costs that come with childhood cancer, we know this road ahead will be long.
If you feel led to support Orlando and our family through donations, prayers, sharing this page, or simply encouraging words, we are endlessly grateful.
Thank you for loving our boy alongside us.
