Soon to be five-year-old Aaron Deleon, was just 14 months old when he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
The diagnosis for the child was “a numbing and surreal feeling. We had never experienced or had any familiarity with childhood cancer,” his father, Rene Deleon said.
Life came to a halt for the family of seven. Rene stopped working to support his son with hospital visits and treatments, which led to a financial and emotional toll on his entire family.
Rene and his wife were also faced with the difficult task of helping their other children understand and cope with the harsh reality of the cancer journey their sibling was facing.
“No one’s ever ready for that,” Rene said.
But even in the face of adversity, Aaron never lost his smile, and once he overcame his shyness, his energetic personality shined through.
On Saturday, Aaron was wearing a gold crown and surrounded by a large number of family members made up of all ages wearing shirts that read “His fight, is our fight.”
The family, and approximately 700 other individuals, were ready to participate in the annual Michael Hoefflin Foundation walk at Central Park aimed at raising funds and awareness for children and families facing pediatric cancer.
But before the large crowd began their journey all around the perimeter of Central Park, key speakers took the podium to honor community partners for their support, recognize local leaders and their advocacy, and share a survivor story and the positive impact the nonprofit has had on hundreds of families since its founding in September of 1995.
A moment of silence in honor of children who have lost their battle with cancer was also held.
The foundation was created in honor of Michael Andrew Hoefflin, a local boy who was diagnosed at the age of 6 with an aggressive form of brain cancer and lost his battle with the disease.
The foundation provides financial and emotional support and is actively working with 495 families within the Santa Clarita Valley and other areas of Los Angeles County. Since its founding, 879 families have been assisted.
During the speeches, it was announced that the foundation has raised $102,000 that will go towards its a variety of financial assistance including: groceries, gasoline, family entertainment activities, quarterly support group meetings, counseling and tutoring, and educational resources.
The foundation also serves families in the San Fernando Valley, Simi Valley, Antelope Valley and portions of the Conejo Valley, according to the organization’s official website.
The organization has partnerships with the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, Kaiser Sunset, City of Hope, UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital and the Los Angeles General Medical Center.
Chris Hoefflin, the father of Michael never thought his son’s story would reach, let alone get the support of so many people.
“We were overwhelmed in the very beginning with how the community, our family and friends, all came beside us to help us, and it grew organically. It just was a lot of love that got pumped into our effort and our mission,” he said.
One of his favorite memories of Michael was during his cancer treatment. A nurse at the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles had a connection to his favorite sports team, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Michael had the chance to get a private tour, meet sports commentator Vin Scully and even took a photo with his two favorite players at the time, Chris said.
A few years later, when Michael’s health declined and he was now homebound, Chris came home from work with sad news. Major League Baseball player Brett Butler, someone Michael deeply admired, had been diagnosed with cancer.
“He was ten at the time. He put his hand on my shoulder, and he said ‘Don’t worry Dad. Brett’s going to be OK,” Chris recalled emotionally. Butler underwent surgery and returned to the league just four months later, according to media reports at the time. “Michael loved baseball, and I love those memories,” Chris said.
But even as time has passed, the pain of a parent losing a child never goes away. Chris finds comfort in being able to help other families which “has really been the healing,” he said.
The foundation was created to support children and families like Aaron’s.
“It changed our perspective on materialistic things and brought us all together to where at the end of the day all that matters is our health and each other,” Rene said, adding that his other children served as a support system despite how young they were.
“I always tell (Aaron) he’s the strongest boy I know and how much I’m proud of him.”
During the ceremony, the Deleon family announced to the crowd that Aaron was now cancer-free, which was followed by a roar of cheers.
Wearing a gold crown that symbolized his triumph, Aaron stood as a survivor as well as a beacon of hope for other families fighting the same fight.
Rene said: “There is light at the end of the tunnel.”
