David Ávila is a lifelong math teacher from Holtville USD. After a career dedicated to advocating for the needs of students and defending and mentoring educators for 28 years, he began the 2025-26 school year with much excitement looking forward to retirement in the spring.

Sadly, in October, he received a diagnosis of Stage 4 cancer which turned his world upside down. The cancer was first discovered as a growth on his arm and later tumors were also found on his liver. Because the cancer is already metastasized to two places, he immediately started chemo and has already gone through 4 rounds of treatment.

The origin of the cancer has been difficult to determine with his current medical coverage. The next step is to run very specialized testing at City of Hope to identify where the cancer began. The first of several tests will cost $10,000. These tests are not covered by his medical insurance, so he will have to pay out of pocket. At this time, this likely will result in him having to cash out one of his retirement funds in order to cover the costs.

It seems unimaginable that an educator would have to choose between having to pay for their cancer treatment and being able to finance their long awaited retirement. If you would like to help out, please donate to David’s treatment fund. Anything will help and be truly appreciated.