Team JoJo

Team Jojo!!!


Joseph "JoJo" Alvarez is the MOST AMAZING 18 year old!  He is smart, talented, athletic, charming, and a hard worker with a heart as big as NYC and smile to match!  He is a freshman at Barry University in  Florida when last week he started to not feel well.  Even though he was feeling sicker and sicker, he kept trying to keep up with his classes. Finally in tears, he called his mom Raena in NYC.  Raena, the warrior mom, was on the next plane to Florida. This past week, after going to hospital to hospital, they found an abscess on his tonsils. 

After a variety of tests, including a bone marrow biopsy, he will now be receiving treatment for leukemia at the Orlando Health UF Health Cancer Center, in Florida.

Jojo will have to under go treatment for the next 4 weeks.  The rest of his wonderful family, dad Joe and little brother Jaden have also come down from NYC to be there with him.  Now that he has his "Team" with him, Jojo is smiling again and knows he will beat this.

As you can imagine, the medical and travel expenses while Jojo undergoes treatment will be steep.   Even though things are very tough for everyone right now, I am asking for whatever you might be able to provide to help Jojo and his Team right now would be so appreciated and they will feel the love.  

And who is Jojo to me? Joseph is a former student of mine in my Drama class and he is like a son to me.  I remember working late one day and was in the office at school when the phone rang. I never pick up the office phone, but for some reason I did.  Joseph's mom Raina was on the other end and she heard that we were holding auditions for  our Arts program at our school, JHS Halsey 157. Joseph was in the 6th grade at the time and she was not happy with his current school and wanted him  at Halsey.  I contacted the guidance counselor and then 3 days later, we brought him in. And Joseph and his mom and now his little brother have been a part of the Halsey family ever since.  Raena is now a teacher there and Jaden is in the 7th grade.  Joseph was always involved in the Drama department, and I knew he was star!!! Even after he went to Bayside High School, he always came back to help with the shows, and called me his second mother.  

And now, Jojo, who I had the privilege to watch grow from a goofy, funny, smiling kid to this amazing young man is about to show just how strong he is truly is, as he beats this disease.   And he needs his Team to be there to help him fight this.  Please be on his Team with me!!! 
Go Team Jojo!!!