SAN ANTONIO – April Tellez said working as a medical assistant at a gastroenterology clinic has been a rewarding experience.
Tellez said she has enjoyed being a part of the community, but she did not think she would soon be diagnosed with cancer.
“We hear about it almost on a day-to-day basis when, you know, even then, when they found out about my diagnosis, everyone was super supportive,” Tellez said.
She was diagnosed with a rare form of skin cancer called Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans, or DFSP, earlier this year. Tellez has been in and out of surgery at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
Her three surgeries left Tellez with expensive medical bills.
“I was like, ‘OK, you know what? Maybe I’ll step up just this once, and we’ll see what we can do for her,’” April’s friend, Lauren Suniga, said.
Suniga began to reach out to friends and family in the community for support. Eventually, they found Marc Mendiola.
Through his social media accounts, Mendiola organized the Make it Count Market.
“When you work with all these companies, you have (an) opportunity. And I just realized, like, my phone has (an) opportunity for somebody else, not only to record, but to connect,” Mendiola said.
Mendiola organized vendors, food, music, exercise and giveaways at Burgerteca, a restaurant located at 403 Blue Star, to help Tellez cover the cost of her cancer treatment.
Tellez said she is appreciative and wants to encourage any other cancer patients to become their own biggest advocate for their medical care.
“Have no hesitation because you don’t know where it’s going to get you,” Tellez said. “And, in the end, that decision could be the best decision you ever made.”
