Farmington community holds car parade for teen battling aggressive cancer

The Farmington community helped make a student’s day special by holding a car parade for him Sunday. The show of support comes as he battles an aggressive form of cancer.

It was a special caravan that showed up in a Farmington neighborhood, people holding signs yelling in support.

All of them are doing it for Cruz Alves, a senior at Farmington High School. He watched the parade of police cars, fire trucks, and classmates from the front doorstep of his home. His parents were thrilled to see joy in his eyes.

“It was the best to see him so happy and excited to see his classmates come by,” Magie Alves, Cruz’s mother, said.

“I just wanted to say thank you so much,” Cruz said himself.

Perfect timing for Cruz as, just days ago, he was accepted into his dream school, UConn, wanting to pursue sport analytics and broadcasting and paid particular attention to Husky basketball.

“If there’s a game during class, I look up statistics,” he said.

It’s an uplifting moment for the Alves family as Cruz is dealing with a highly aggressive form of cancer called glioblastoma, which causes brain tumors.

He was first diagnosed when he was five and was able to put it in remission, but last year, the cancer came back again.

“We did some radiation in Boston and we’re hoping for the best and praying,” Nelson Alves, Cruz’s father, said.

This isn’t the first time the family has had to deal with glioblastoma. Cruz’s sister, Sophie, passed away from it about eight years ago, but the family believes she was watching from the sky during the parade, making sure the rain was able to let up.

“I definitely think she sends us signs all the time and that she made sure that the rain slowed down and stopped for this,” Magie Alves said.

The weather did not dampen enthusiasm for Cruz’s classmates to show up for him and pull for him as he continues his fight with cancer.

“Never give up,” Cruz said.

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