Meet Grant Recipient Samuel Silva

The fall-winter holidays are usually a time for joy and celebration. Last year, Samuel Silva’s family spent that period processing the most difficult news of their lives.

Samuel, a Fort Myers native, learned he had a cancerous tumor on Nov. 16, 2018, just 10 days after his 11th birthday.

“We were surprised by a massive tumor found in his chest when he had an X-ray done because of coughing,” Maria, Samuel’s mother, says.

Samuel had to undergo three biopsies at two different hospitals before finally being diagnosed with Nodular Sclerosing Hodgkin’s Lymphoma that December.

“It was very shocking for him and for us as parents, not knowing how to deal with all the challenges that we were now facing for the first time in so many areas,” Maria says.

Samuel has endured four cycles of chemotherapy, which will soon be followed by another round before starting radiation.

But Samuel’s future is bright and full of support from family, friends, and Amber’s Antibodies.

As a recipient of our grant program, Samuel and his family can worry less about costly cancer treatments and more about physical and emotional healing.

“We could have never done it without your support,” Maria tells us. “Thank you for stepping in and helping us make it through, one day at a time. May God bless you all.

As Maria thanks us, we can’t help but feel grateful for all of our donors. It is through your generous support and donations that we have been able to provide $209,450 in grants to 77 families thus far. It’s through you that we are able to benefit lives like Samuel’s.

So for that, we thank you.

To donate to Amber’s Antibodies, click here.

To donate directly to Samuel’s family, click here.