SAN ANTONIO \u2013 Eryka Vasquez and Alejandro Lopez know sarcoma as more than a diagnosis. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s the phone calls, the surgeries and the bills that keep coming for doctor visits, medications, procedures and even parking while patients often can\u2019t work.<\/p>\n
Sarcoma is a cancer of the connective tissue, found in muscle, bone, cartilage or tendons. There are more than 70 types. Ewing and osteosarcoma are among the most common.<\/p>\n
Vasquez was 27 when she was diagnosed in 2023 with Ewing\u2019s sarcoma of the mandible, a rare bone cancer in an even rarer location. She spent nearly a year in treatment at University Hospital. <\/p>\n
\u201cDuring treatment, Alejandro and I were both in survival mode,\u201d she said. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t until afterward that we were able to reflect and realize how little awareness exists for sarcoma and how much this nonprofit is needed.\u201d<\/p>\n
In October 2024, after a follow-up appointment, Vasquez told her medical team she would start a foundation for the patients who came after her, and she says doctors and nurses have since stepped up to support the effort.<\/p>\n
Now, Vasquez and Lopez, a below-knee amputee and osteosarcoma survivor, have helped launch the Vasquez Sarcoma Foundation alongside fellow survivor Jake, a two-time Ewing\u2019s survivor. Their mission: make sure no sarcoma patient in San Antonio faces the financial and emotional wreckage alone.<\/p>\n
The need is urgent, they say, especially for young adults building their lives. More than 88,000 new cancer cases<\/a> have been reported among adolescents and young adults so far in 2026; about 1% are sarcoma diagnoses.<\/p>\n And in many homes, the most immediate need is money.<\/p>\n \u201cA donation of $10, $25, or even $50 may not seem like much for some, but for a sarcoma cancer patient, it\u2019s hope,\u201d Vasquez said. \u201cIt\u2019s being able to breathe again, knowing something will be handled, whether it\u2019s parking for the week, groceries, a home bill, or a meal during treatment. But mostly, you know you\u2019re not alone.\u201d<\/p>\n Blessing Bags<\/p>\n You can bring comfort to a Sarcoma Warrior in a very meaningful way; The Vasquez Sarcoma Foundation has created a registry to help sarcoma patients. By filling Sarcoma Support Blessing Bags<\/a> with practical comfort items, they can use; these are practical essentials that ease treatment and side effects and can brighten a long hospital or clinic day. <\/p>\n Even small things from the list can help with the side effects of treatment and just make a hard day a little better. Every gift is a simple act that delivers real relief, it\u2019s a powerful way to show up for patients and families with visible, local impact and is basically a reminder that people are rooting for them. <\/p>\n It\u2019s an opportunity to surround every patient with care, hope, and a community that won\u2019t let go because no one should face this fight feeling like they are all alone.<\/p>\n The Vasquez Sarcoma Foundation<\/a> is founded by sarcoma survivors, for sarcoma survivors and is dedicated to providing comprehensive support to sarcoma patients, survivors, and their families. The VSF, offers resources to help individuals and caregivers navigate the challenges of a sarcoma diagnosis and treatment from emotional support to practical guidance and community connection. The Vasquez Sarcoma Foundation exists to ensure no one faces sarcoma alone. <\/p>\n KSAT Community operates in partnership with University Health and Randolph-Brooks Federal Credit Union. Click here <\/a>to read about other KSAT Community efforts. Interested in partnering with KSAT Community? Get in touch by filling out this form<\/a>.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 by KSAT – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SAN ANTONIO \u2013 Eryka Vasquez and Alejandro Lopez know sarcoma as more than a diagnosis. It\u2019s the phone…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":348693,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[2622,7720,82,84,83],"class_list":["post-348692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-antonio","tag-cancer","tag-ksat-community","tag-san-antonio","tag-san-antonio-headlines","tag-san-antonio-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348692","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=348692"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348692\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/348693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=348692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=348692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=348692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}