San Ramon Student Helps Teach Kids About Cancer

SAN RAMON, CA — A San Ramon student is hoping to spread knowledge of cancer through Fight for the Cure, a nonprofit that organizes workshops, educational kits, and more.

California High School student Keerthi Eran began her journey when her cousin and best friend was diagnosed with cancer. She realized that she didn't know much about cancer, and neither did many of her peers.

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"I often found myself asking, what happens inside your body that actually makes cancer so bad?" she said. "What even is cancer, beyond a word that we know describes something bad? I saw this barrier especially pronounced in multilingual students of color, who would face either a language barrier or a cultural barrier to understand these biological concepts around health."

Cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the United States, and it is the leading cause of death from disease among American children and adolescents. Yet studied have identified gap in young people's knowledge of cancer. According to a 2026 pilot study of 24 middle school students in Pennsylvania, only 16% could correctly define cancer. A 2021 study of 235 middle and high school students in the Midwest found that only 37.3% knew how to lower their cancer risk.

Eran's Fight for the Cure has enlisted a team of student volunteers to address this. Student volunteers present workshops on topics like understanding how cancer cells develop and multiply, then guide children through experiments and activities intended to reinforce what they've learned. The workshops are held at schools, libraries, and hospitals, with an emphasis on reaching children from underserved and multilingual communities.

Fight for the Cure also distributes Health Heroes Kits, which contain pipe cleaners for building models of cells, an activity involving a cancer-awareness mascot called Chilli the Crab, and a pocket-sized booklet about healthy habits. Eran said the organization also plans to expand its workshops to include other STEM subjects, including engineering and water mechanics, and launch a social media awareness campaign for high school students.

For more information about the club, educational resources, and volunteer opportunities, visit Fight for the Cure's Linktree page.