Napavine High School Grad Battles Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

Class of 2019 Napavine High School graduate Alejandro “Alex” Gaona, 19, was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma on Feb. 14 after going to the hospital for chest pains.

“It started with chest pains that started to affect his breathing, so his mom took him to the Centralia hospital and that’s when they transported him down south (to PeaceHealth Southwest Hospital in Vancouver) by ambulance. The mass in his chest measured 12 centimeters by 19 centimeters. So it’s pretty big,” said family friend, Jody Low. 

He spent a week in the hospital before the test results came back and he was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. He began aggressive chemotherapy on the evening of Feb. 18. 

Gaona’s first round of chemo was completed without complications and he is currently back from the hospital and resting at home in Napavine. He will travel back to Vancouver on March 4 for his next round of chemotherapy.

“Alex is a gentle spirit with a ready smile. He is a friend to all and a strong role model for his siblings. We were so excited when he started college this fall, we just didn’t see something like this coming and taking away that opportunity,” said Dana Keller, a teacher in the Napavine School District. “As his community, we want to make sure that he and his family don’t face this challenge alone and that he gets treatment, has a full recovery and gets to call this just a piece of his story.”

Low, who is also an employee at Napavine High School, described Gaona as a genuine soul with a kind heart and a megawatt smile. Low decided to help out Gaona and his family with the cost of the medical bills by starting a GoFundMe account. The account has received donations from 89 people totaling $9,591 of the $15,000 goal  as of Tuesday afternoon.

“My son is best friends with Alex’s brother who is a junior at Napavine High School and so I have known him for many years and he is an amazing young man,” said Low

The community has rallied behind Gaona and showed their support for him and his family during this difficult time in more ways than one. On Tuesday, the Napavine Elementary Teachers sent a “chemo care package” which contained items such as a blanket, cases of Gatorade, water and various snacks. 

“Unless you know the kid, you just cannot understand how giving he is — he is just the sweetest kid,” said Low. 

Test results from Feb. 22 showed that Gaona didn’t have any cancer in his bone marrow but is still looking at about four months of chemotherapy treatments, Low said. 

He has younger siblings in the Napavine School District ranging from kindergarten to 11th grade. Low said the school is being very supportive and understanding of the situation. 

“We are trying to do a lot of communicating with those teachers that have those kiddos in their classrooms. To keep everything positive and up-to-date. We are all being careful to keep everything age-appropriate,” Low said

Josh Fay, a social studies teacher, and head football and softball coach at Napavine High School described the type of person he’s known Gaona to be.

“Alex is an outstanding young man who is always there for others. He’s the type of guy that would do anything to help someone else out. Now it’s our turn to help him out,” Fay said.

Donations can be made at https://www.gofundme.com/f/alex-gaona.