We are Pay It Forward SA, a San Antonio–based nonprofit dedicated to helping men and women in our community recover from homelessness and substance use disorders.

Today, we are asking for support for one of our own.

Rene Westfall has been sober since March 1, 2022. After completing treatment at ITP for the second time, Rene joined Pay It Forward SA’s Sober Living Dorm Program, where he committed himself fully to recovery and rebuilding his life. He successfully completed the full year in the dorm, showing resilience, consistency, and determination every step of the way.

During his time in the dorm, Rene worked for a landscaping company and enrolled at San Antonio College, where he began working toward his certificate in Real Estate Management (graduated in May 2025). As he prepared to graduate from the dorm and move forward independently, tragedy struck when his mother passed away. Despite this devastating loss, Rene remained committed to his sobriety and chose to continue his recovery journey by moving into community-based sober living, where he has been residing in an Oxford House.

In November 2025, after months of feeling unwell and visiting multiple emergency rooms, Rene was finally referred to an ear, nose, and throat specialist at the Mays Cancer Center. There, he received life-altering news: he was diagnosed with Stage 2 throat cancer. On November 20, Renee began radiation and chemotherapy.

Soon after starting treatment, Rene experienced severe difficulty swallowing and required a feeding tube. Unbeknownst to him at the time, his cancer had rapidly progressed to Stage 4. When treatment began, Rene was forced to stop working due to the physical toll of chemotherapy and radiation.

Even in the midst of cancer treatment, Rene has continued to push forward. He has been using this time to study for his state real estate exam, holding onto his long-term goals and belief in a future beyond this illness.

More recently, doctors discovered a growth on Rene’s colon during a CT scan. It was surgically removed on February 11, and he is currently awaiting the results. He is also waiting on a PET scan to determine whether his throat cancer treatment has been effective.

Because Rene has been unable to work during treatment, he is now at risk of losing his sober living housing—a place that is essential to both his recovery and his ability to fight cancer.

This fundraiser is meant to help Rene cover housing and basic living expenses so he can remain in sober living while continuing treatment and awaiting critical medical results.

Pay It Forward SA was built on the belief that recovery is possible—and that when one member of our community is struggling, we show up. Rene has done everything asked of him to change his life. Now, he needs our help.

If you are able to donate, please consider paying it forward for Rene. If you’re unable to give, sharing this fundraiser and keeping him in your thoughts and prayers makes a meaningful difference.