John Martinez is a TRUE CHAMPION!

Many of us know John as this lively young man with the dark sunglasses and a bright smile. He is an athletic, 13 year old who loves baseball. But what many of us didn't know was that he was very sick. Last Thursday he had a chest x-ray done which revealed a large mass covering his heart. The doctors were very alarmed at this and decided that they needed to complete a CT scan to get more information. The CT scan revealed that John was more sick than any of us could've imagined. They initially diagnosed John with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. John, along with his parents, Mike and Cyndi, we're absolutely paralyzed with fear at this news. John returned home and was asked to wait until the following week to have more tests done. However, on Sunday, Mike and Cyndi noticed his health deteriorating and rushed him to the emergency room at Loma Linda Hospital. Luckily they were able to get him admitted right away and start the testing immediately.Monday, May 15, John went through a rigorous line of testing and prodding, to which he handled every step like a TRUE CHAMPION. A spinal tap revealed that John had a rare form of leukemia (ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC LEUKEMIA T-ALL) . The best way to deal with the leukemia was to start an immediate regimen of chemo therapy. Even with more answers than what they had the week before, Mike, Cyndi and John were still fearful of what lay ahead. The biggest fear was that the cancer may have possibly spread to his brain. Last evening, John completed his first session of chemo therapy. And according to his doctors today, May 16, his white blood cell count has dropped in half, this is great news. Also great news was that they revealed that the cancer had not spread to his brain. Right now John is still in the hospital with a long fight ahead of him. He remains at Loma Linda Hospital with his parents by his side. We all know John is this little guy with a huge heart and a lot of fight in him. John, Mike and Cyndi appreciate all the positive thoughts and prayers that everyone has given. They ask that we all continue to raise them up in prayer and keep John moving strong on the road to recovery.