Second Grader Inspires a Relay for Life Team

When Lucas, a second grader at Matthew Paterson Elementary School, was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, the impact on his family was tremendous.

“Lucas was six months old at the time,” his mother Ashley Martinez said. “He is a twin, we were so worried that his twin brother, Oliver, would develop cancer, too. Our oldest son, Adrian, was just three. It was a very scary time.”

Lucas is cancer-free now. Since his recovery, the family has helped raise money in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life to help find a cure. Lucas has been involved in the Relay since he was two years old, walking and raising money for cancer research.   

This year, the Relay for Life of Eastern Putnam will be held at Brewster High School on Saturday, May 31 from 2 to 10 p.m.

The Martinez family will be there along with a team of about 20 family members and friends who call themselves “The Lukey-Dukes.”

“We welcome all friends, families and CCSD staff to join us,” Mrs. Martinez said. “Our team raises money specifically for childhood cancer. At the Relay, we do a dinosaur lap with inflatable costumes. We just try to bring attention to childhood cancer.”

When Lucas developed an ultra-rare sarcoma in his stomach as a baby, the Martinez family’s life became focused on doctors and medical information. Oliver, who is not an identical twin, was not in danger of developing the disease, doctors assured his parents. Lucas’ tumor was removed by surgery, and he received an experimental treatment regimen at Maria Ferrari Children’s Hospital in Westchester to stop additional cancerous lesions from growing. By the time he was a year old, the lesions were gone. The treatment Lucas’s doctors used is now followed in hospitals across the country.

“It’s why we feel so strongly about supporting the American Cancer Society,” Mrs. Martinez said. “They fund studies and administer grants that lead to new methods of treatment.”

These days, Lucas is so healthy that the cancer is just a note in the school nurse’s file. The family doesn’t feel the need to let his teachers or school staff know about this former illness. There is nothing the school needs to look out for.

“He’s perfect now,” his mother said. “He had his last scan when he was in kindergarten, and he is officially cancer free. He will be part of a survivorship program until he is 18, but it’s not a big part of his life. I am so grateful that my children were so young at the time that I never had to sit them down and have that scary conversation with them.”