Orlando inspires all at An Evening of Hope event

Orlando stood behind the podium addressing 150 guests, with his father and mother on each side of him. He instantly captured the attention of every person in the room with his sense of humor and confidence. His first words were, “I wasn’t prepared to be speaking tonight but here I am”. Orlando naturally takes the lead of speaking, not only for himself, but also on behalf of his parents who are Spanish speaking only. Two years ago, at age 15, Orlando took that same lead in 2021 after finding out that he was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma. He translated the exact words medical staff told him to his mother, Bertha, who was sitting next to him in the exam room at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital. 

A medical telephone translator did not explain well enough for Orlando’s Spanish speaking mother to comprehend that he would soon begin an intense chemotherapy and surgery treatment for his cancer. Orlando explained it all in more detail to his mother. She instantly asked Orlando to translate to the social worker and ask about resources to get to treatment. This is what social determinants of health is for a parent who is unable to communicate needs because of a language barrier in the healthcare system. Orlando and Berta utilized many resources, from coordinating with different family members to drive them to treatment, to taking public transportation so that he didn’t miss a day of treatment. Orlando shared after getting connected with Compass to Care, it allowed his family to take Lyft rides every week to his chemotherapy appointments. He bravely shared his good news that he completed his last chemo session two months ago. “Thank you Compass to Care, you have been such a big help”. These were the sincere words Orlando translated for his mother.

Orlando has been busy catching up with school. He finally feels he is up to pace with High School as he had to miss a full year of school due to cancer treatment. Orlando plans to be an anesthesiologist, being bilingual he wants to make a positive impact speaking Spanish to non-English speakers. He understands it can be scary in the hospital, but he hopes he can, “make painful experiences feel a little better for others.”

This is what hope looks like. 

As we take a final moment to thank everyone who attended our Evening of Hope gala, we extend our biggest thank you to Orlando, one of our very own Compass to Care teens, who was an inspiring and honored guest speaker.