SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio-area graduating senior saved his mother’s life, took care of his siblings and started a business all during his last year.
“I knew, like, whatever had to be done had to be done, and I was going to save my mom,” Central Catholic High School senior David Perez said.
For Perez it was a no brainer, giving the much needed stem cell transplant for his mother who was battling a rare bone marrow cancer that effected her spleen.
He was the only one of his family members that matched and it’s how he started his senior year.
He also had to help take care of his younger siblings while his parents were gone for five months at MD Anderson.
“I definitely had to step in and step it up with, like, as far as helping my my brother and sister,” Perez said.
His teacher Dorothy Hanson said you wouldn’t be able to tell the hardships David was facing.
“David was taking all that on, part of what made him stood out is he never let the negativity affect him,” Hanson said. “He was always positive, always respectful to his peers.”
David credits his Central Catholic community for helping him through it all.
“The people that I met at Central, my close friends, really helped me through it, for sure,” Perez said.
His mom, she also made it through.
“She’s doing really well,” Perez said. “Yeah, she beat cancer, thankfully.”
On top of the obstacles, David has been a budding entrepreneur.
“I started power-washing around sophomore year in the neighborhood,” Perez said. “I would make like advertising. I was like, go door to door.”
This last year he created his own clothing thrift business with his friends, Lethreads SATX, where they set up pop ups at local markets.
“My friends, we got really into clothing and we started like thrifting a little bit more,” Perez said.
David will be attending Texas State University and plans to major in business with a minor in fashion design.
“I just hope to be a successful entrepreneur,” Perez said. “I’d like to start my own business, and I’d like to do something in the fashion realm, for sure.”
David’s teacher said she has no doubt that David’s future will be bright.
“I see him going far,” Hanson said. “I know he has a business this year. Hopefully he goes into that. He’s really well spoken as well. So he can definitely do anything his kind of heart takes him to.”