W

ith his Florida Atlantic fraternity brother facing cancer, Eduardo Perez has taken to the internet to fundraise for his friend’s treatment.

Andrew Diaz, a junior majoring in healthcare and a member of the FAU Phi Delta Theta chapter, went to see a doctor after experiencing chronic back pain in December 2016.

Instead of finding out he had a back injury, Diaz was told he had synovial sarcoma, a rare form of cancer which affects soft tissue. For Diaz, the sarcoma manifested in a tumor near his left lung that causes him severe pain.

According to Perez, Diaz had planned to graduate in spring 2018 and was going to intern at a radiology clinic this semester. Instead, he was told he would have to put his life on hold and start getting treatment.

“He’s really dedicated, he’s a hard worker, he’s always involved with philanthropy,” Perez said. “He’s one of the most involved members of the chapter.”

Perez graduated last year with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and was treasurer of the fraternity.

“I decided that since I have a background in sales, I could potentially make something that could get the most amount of donations,” he said.

With that mindset, Perez created a gofundme page in January to help fund the therapy and surgery that Diaz requires.

The goal for the page is currently $20,000, of which $5,677 has been raised.

“If we potentially get more than that, we can potentially donate that to other people who are in need,” Perez said.

Perez was not alone in fundraising for Diaz. Brandon Palmaccio of Phi Delta Theta ran a T-shirt fundraiser during January and February.

“Hey y’all thanks for all the support,” Diaz wrote in a message on the gofundme page. “It really means a lot to me and my family. I appreciate all that y’all have done for me.”

Ryan Lynch is the editor in chief of the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet him @RyanLynchwriter.