Community to raise funds for city man with cancer
TROY, N. Y. » Family and friends of lifelong Collar City resident Jose Torres hope that the community will come together Saturday night to support him during his cancer battle.
“Jose was told that he had a reoccurring sinus infection, he had gone to the hospitals here in Troy a few times and they kept telling him it was just a sinus infection,” said Rachel Santiago, Torres’ mother. “He eventually went to Albany Medical Center and they checked all of his blood counts and found out that his red and white blood cells were very down and that was the sign of some type of cancer and he was diagnosed with the rarest form of leukemia.”
Members from Team Helping Everyone Recognize Opportunity planned a fundraiser and bone marrow donor testing from 5 p. m. to midnight Saturday at the Troy Kitchen, located at 77 Congress St.
Santiago said that her son found out that he was diagnosed Acute Myeloid Leukemia this past July right around the time of his 36th birthday.
One of the main leaders of Team HERO, Jerry Ford, has been helping to organize the fundraiser Saturday night for Torres and his family. The fundraiser will have free entry, with money looking to be raised from raffles and any other forms of donations. The event will also feature live music, comedy and local food from Troy Kitchen.
“Jose’s mother started organizing it and it kind of got a little bit overwhelming for her and she came to our group as a resource and we kind of stepped in and
are sponsoring the event now,” Ford said.
Torres is a former US Navy Seaman 2nd class, USS Rentz 01- 04, a Troy High class of 2001 graduate, a father of four and a husband. Torres has had past careers as a chef and has worked in many establishments in the Collar City over the years.
Ford said it was important for him and his group to step up and help Torres and his family during his tough times especially since he personally knows Torres.
“His nephews are my godsons,” said Ford. “Jose is just a really nice guy and is really a down to earth guy, but cancer can hit anybody and it just happened to happen with him. I had an opportunity to visit him while he was over in Albany Medical Center and I could see his frustration with how this was going to be a finical burden for his family and my heart just went out to him.”
Santiago said that she hopes that the fundraiser
will be able to help her son through hard times and that the event will find a bonemarrow donor match through the “Be a Match” program for Torres.
“Usually to find out if you’re a bone marrow match, they would charge a fewhundred dollars, but since we are having this fundraiser they are allowing me to do it with just
some small donations and that will go directly back to BeAMatch.org,” Santiago said.
“It’s been overwhelming to say the least with all the people who have reached out from the community, I have no words to express the gratitude that I have right now for the community, businesses and everyone that has helped us.”