Ramon Barrera was recently diagnosed with B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
The local 4-year-old youngster is currently receiving treatment at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in Oakland, and has a long, two-year process ahead of him, according to Justin Coenenberg.
The Manteca High girls varsity soccer coach said his program will be looking to help out Barrera and his family during these difficult times with the annual Kicking for a Cure game scheduled for Friday, Jan. 30, at Guss Schmeidt Field.
The Buffaloes will be squaring off against Lathrop High in the non-league affair where 100 percent of the proceeds will be donated to Barrera, who just completed I-5 of treatment and is now in Phase 6, consisting of weekly clinic visits where he’s receiving chemo through his port – located in the lumbar, where the treatment enters into his central nervous systems and pumped full of fluids during this two-month phase.
The next phase, Coenenberg noted, will also last two months and will consist of weekly visits, with hospital stays lasting up to three days at a time.
“Throughout all of this, Ramon works at physical therapy, tries walking more, watching his tablet, and getting out of the house whenever he can – he’s been in good spirits, and his family is grateful for that,” Coenenberg said.
His program is offering several options for those interested, including accepting gift cards, monetary donations, and other items for the raffle and silent auctions that will take place during the Kicking for a Cure game, which is a chance to bring local awareness and hope to the fight against cancer while also supporting a child in the community.
“Our coaches, players, faculty, families, and friends have all been affected by cancer in some way, and we are proud to sponsor this event to raise money for a such a worthy young man and his family,” said the MHS coach.
Donations can be sent directly to: MHS Athletic Boosters – Kicking for a Cure; c/o Manteca High School; 450 E. Yosemite Ave., Manteca, CA 95336.
For more information, call 209.608.0652.
