Stein grad battles cancer with help from community
Jul 29, 2010 | 1329 views | 2 
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PATTERSON — For a person battling cancer, there are many dark days.
But there are good days, too, and July 10 was a very good day for Emmanuel Chapparo. That’s when family members, friends and others gathered for a car wash fundraiser for the 19-year-old graduate of Tracy’s Stein Continuation High School, who continues to fight against alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a soft-tissue tumor found earlier this year in the young man’s legs.
Dozens of volunteers jumped in to help with the car wash. Dozens more gave blood today during a replacement blood drive cosponsored by Delta Blood Bank and Kinder’s Meats Deli & BBQ in Tracy, 3242 W. Grant Line Road.
For every donation today, Delta Blood Bank promised to give $10 toward Chapparo’s transfusion fees. The total number of donors could not be determined before the blood bank closed this afternoon.
In his hometown of Patterson, friends and relatives grabbed hoses and soap July 10 and didn’t mind getting a little wet to help the young man and his parents with medical bills.
The car wash, organized by parents Steven and Mona Chapparo, was a success, as people showed up in droves and gave more than $1,900.
“We started washing cars at 8:05 a.m. and never looked back,” Steven Chapparo said. “There was a line forming in the morning that pretty much lasted well into the afternoon. People showed up to help and gave whatever they could. Their generosity — it means a lot to our family.”
Emmanuel Chapparo’s medical problems started more than two months ago, when he was diagnosed first with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura — a rare blood condition often abbreviated as TTP — and then with alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma.
Since then, Chapparo, a 2008 graduate of Stein High, has undergone a combination of daily blood transfusions, radiation therapy and chemotherapy.
“I’ve learned that life’s too short to take anything for granted,” Chapparo said. “I appreciate everything a lot more now. I realize the worth of things I might’ve taken for granted before.”
The cancer diagnosis in June was the latest blow in a string of tough luck, but most would never know how much the teenager has been through, judging by the way he greeted friends and strangers who showed up to give support and raise money to pay for his ballooning medical expenses.
“It’s been treatment after treatment, medication after medication, and needle after needle over much of the past two months,” Chapparo said. “It’s been tough and I’m not going to pretend it’s not, but you have to be willing to keep on fighting, and I am willing to do that.”
Chapparo, a patient at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Modesto, knows he has much more treatment to come, but he was confident and in great spirits at the recent fundraisers.
If not for his circle of supporters, he admits, he likely would have a tougher time coming to grips with his disease. There are days when the pain and endless treatment overwhelm him.
“I’ve decided to keep fighting for myself, and for my friends and family,” he said. “I don’t know what I would have done without them through all of this.
“I have amazing friends and family, and I just have to tell them how much they mean to me by being willing to keep on fighting.”
Patterson’s True Value Hardware was generous to allow the car wash and fundraiser in its parking lot, Steven Chapparo said.
“Emmanuel was a part-time employee for our store when he was in school, so we got to know him a bit,” True Value assistant manager Dan Parker said. “I saw him outside (on Saturday), and he looked like he’s on his way to getting better. That’s all we can hope for.”
Hoses, soap and brushes for the volunteer car wash were also donated.
Steven Chapparo said his son is an inspiration to him and many others in the community.
“He’s been through a lot and manages to stay the same most of the time,” he said. “I’m very proud of him.”
He said he’s not at all surprised so many people showed up to support the cause.
“The people of Patterson really do care about each other,” he said. “There’s a lot of people who have been hit by cancer in this city, and most of us here know someone who has it or died from it. The people here always are willing to help people when they’re going through a tough time.”
Steven Chapparo said all he, his son and his family can do now is take things one day at a time.
“We just have to hope things get better and he gets through this,” he said. “There are going to be some tough days, but a lot more days when he’s himself and laughing and smiling. He’s not going to give up, I know that much.”
• To reach Marc Aceves, call 892-6187.
But there are good days, too, and July 10 was a very good day for Emmanuel Chapparo. That’s when family members, friends and others gathered for a car wash fundraiser for the 19-year-old graduate of Tracy’s Stein Continuation High School, who continues to fight against alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a soft-tissue tumor found earlier this year in the young man’s legs.
Dozens of volunteers jumped in to help with the car wash. Dozens more gave blood today during a replacement blood drive cosponsored by Delta Blood Bank and Kinder’s Meats Deli & BBQ in Tracy, 3242 W. Grant Line Road.
For every donation today, Delta Blood Bank promised to give $10 toward Chapparo’s transfusion fees. The total number of donors could not be determined before the blood bank closed this afternoon.
In his hometown of Patterson, friends and relatives grabbed hoses and soap July 10 and didn’t mind getting a little wet to help the young man and his parents with medical bills.
The car wash, organized by parents Steven and Mona Chapparo, was a success, as people showed up in droves and gave more than $1,900.
“We started washing cars at 8:05 a.m. and never looked back,” Steven Chapparo said. “There was a line forming in the morning that pretty much lasted well into the afternoon. People showed up to help and gave whatever they could. Their generosity — it means a lot to our family.”
Emmanuel Chapparo’s medical problems started more than two months ago, when he was diagnosed first with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura — a rare blood condition often abbreviated as TTP — and then with alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma.
Since then, Chapparo, a 2008 graduate of Stein High, has undergone a combination of daily blood transfusions, radiation therapy and chemotherapy.
“I’ve learned that life’s too short to take anything for granted,” Chapparo said. “I appreciate everything a lot more now. I realize the worth of things I might’ve taken for granted before.”
The cancer diagnosis in June was the latest blow in a string of tough luck, but most would never know how much the teenager has been through, judging by the way he greeted friends and strangers who showed up to give support and raise money to pay for his ballooning medical expenses.
“It’s been treatment after treatment, medication after medication, and needle after needle over much of the past two months,” Chapparo said. “It’s been tough and I’m not going to pretend it’s not, but you have to be willing to keep on fighting, and I am willing to do that.”
Chapparo, a patient at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Modesto, knows he has much more treatment to come, but he was confident and in great spirits at the recent fundraisers.
If not for his circle of supporters, he admits, he likely would have a tougher time coming to grips with his disease. There are days when the pain and endless treatment overwhelm him.
“I’ve decided to keep fighting for myself, and for my friends and family,” he said. “I don’t know what I would have done without them through all of this.
“I have amazing friends and family, and I just have to tell them how much they mean to me by being willing to keep on fighting.”
Patterson’s True Value Hardware was generous to allow the car wash and fundraiser in its parking lot, Steven Chapparo said.
“Emmanuel was a part-time employee for our store when he was in school, so we got to know him a bit,” True Value assistant manager Dan Parker said. “I saw him outside (on Saturday), and he looked like he’s on his way to getting better. That’s all we can hope for.”
Hoses, soap and brushes for the volunteer car wash were also donated.
Steven Chapparo said his son is an inspiration to him and many others in the community.
“He’s been through a lot and manages to stay the same most of the time,” he said. “I’m very proud of him.”
He said he’s not at all surprised so many people showed up to support the cause.
“The people of Patterson really do care about each other,” he said. “There’s a lot of people who have been hit by cancer in this city, and most of us here know someone who has it or died from it. The people here always are willing to help people when they’re going through a tough time.”
Steven Chapparo said all he, his son and his family can do now is take things one day at a time.
“We just have to hope things get better and he gets through this,” he said. “There are going to be some tough days, but a lot more days when he’s himself and laughing and smiling. He’s not going to give up, I know that much.”
• To reach Marc Aceves, call 892-6187.
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comments (2)
« TracyCitizen wrote on Monday, Aug 02 at 10:26 AM »
Emmanuel seems like a good kid with a strong will to live. Blessings to him for a full recovery.
« MY2PENNIES wrote on Friday, Jul 30 at 11:46 AM »
LET GO A'S !!!!!!
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