South Toms River Makes Special Memories For Boy Fighting Cancer

SOUTH TOMS RIVER, NJ — Miguel Alarcon munched popcorn and smiled and laughed at the front of the cafeteria, enjoying a surprise birthday party thrown for him at South Toms River Elementary School.

"You'd never know anything is wrong, to look at him," said Courtney Eisenman, president of the school's PTO. But Miguel, 8, is facing what may be a losing battle: a cancerous brain tumor is robbing him of his sight.

"He doesn't complain," said Erin Ritchie, a first-grade teacher at the school who was Miguel's teacher last year. "He's smiley every day."

"He's such a sweet boy," second-grade teacher Bonnie Pukash said.

"He's so full of life, full of love, full of joy," South Toms River Police Chief William Kosh said. "Spend 5 minutes talking to him and you see why he's so special."

It is that special quality that has led the entire South Toms River community to rally around Miguel and his family as he battles the tumors. He lost vision in one eye, and the tumors, which have not responded to the chemotherapy he has been receiving since he was diagnosed in May, are rapidly compromising his other eye.

The prognosis beyond that isn't good.

"We are just trying to enjoy the time we have with him," his mother, Rocio Alarcon, said, as Miguel excitedly talked to friends. He interrupted his mother briefly to ask a question about a phone call that had come in on her phone. "Talk to him," she told her son. It was his stepdad. "He couldn't be here today because he is working," she said.

The prognosis is why Friday afternoon was one big celebration for Miguel, and why it's part of an ongoing effort by the community to make sure he experiences as many special moments as possible.

"When we learned he was going to lose his sight, we made a list of all the kinds of visual memories we could make for him, so he could remember them when he can no longer see," Ritchie said.

That list has included a visit from Santa Claus by firetruck over Christmas, a trip to Jenkinson's Aquarium in Point Pleasant Beach to see the fish and the penguins, and the surprise birthday party. But those moments are as much for his mother and his family as they are for Miguel, Ritchie and Eisenman said.

He was diagnosed in May 2019, after repeated efforts by Rocio Alarcon seeking answers about why her son was having troubles with his eyesight. She started seeking help when he was young, but it wasn't until he was in class with Ritchie and Andrea Green, a language arts and math resource teacher, that the issues were addressed.

"We realized something was wrong," Ritchie said, adding they worked with Rocio Alarcon to make sure it was looked at.

Rocio Alarcon said she took Miguel to Robert Wood Johnson University Medical Center in New Brunswick for another opinion, and that's when his tumor was finally diagnosed.

The diagnosis and Miguel's subsequent chemotherapy treatments led to his mother needing to quit her job to care for him. That's where the community has stepped in, Eisenman said.

A baseball fundraiser called Strike Out Cancer raised $10,ooo for the Alarcons, Eisenman said. And there have been many more small gestures to help the family get through the financial and emotional challenges of Miguel's illness.

"I have so much support," Rocio Alarcon said. "I really appreciate what the school has done."

"It helps Miguel stay motivated," she said.

Eisenman said that while some gestures have been smaller — the trip to Jenkinson's Aquarium was a group of his family and friends was covered by donations from several people and organizations, and there have been people who have given gift cards and paid for groceries — people have been willing to help in whatever capacity possible.

"When we were organizing the baseball fundraiser, no one ever turned us down," said Kevin Gibbons of the South Toms River Little League. Berkeley Township officials gave permission to hold the fundraiser at Veterans Park. Companies donated food and bottled water. The kindnesses have not only surprised the adults, they have taught the children an important lesson because of the kindnesses.

"I've never seen anything like it," Gibbons said. "Everyone comes together to get things done."

That's what happened for Miguel's birthday party. His actual birthday was Dec. 27, and in addition to it being over the winter break, he was in chemotherapy that day, Eisenman said. She wanted to do something special to make his birthday memorable.

And everyone delivered. The Manitou Park Fire Company brought a fire truck. Kosh and his officers brought a special badge and a certificate designating Miguel as a South Toms River special police officer. Miguel had talked about wanting to become a police officer, Rocio Alarcon said.

The police department and the borough's emergency services have been all in from the start.

"We wanted to help immediately," Kosh said. He first heard about Miguel when Eisenman and Ritchie called seeking support for the baseball fundraiser. When they were asked, Kosh said they jumped at the chance to be part of Miguel's birthday.

"We wanted his birthday to feel special," Eisenman said, because Miguel is special; when Santa Claus arrived at the family's home to visit and gave Miguel gifts, the boy's immediate concern was for his sisters, she said. "We made sure they had a family gift that could be enjoyed together," she said.

While they wanted Miguel to have a special day that was all his, Eisenman said the hope was that Friday's party would give the family happy memories to hold onto as well.

"Everything is negative," Rocio Alarcon said of what doctors have told her of Miguel's hopes of beating the cancer. Instead of it shrinking while he was undergoing chemotherapy, it's continued to get larger. Doctors have estimated he will lose his vision completely in the next few months, and has a year or less to live.

Friday's surprise was everything they hoped it would be. Not only did Miguel have no idea that he would be named an honorary South Toms River police officer, he had no idea that his mom and younger sisters would be there. That was the first part of the surprise.

"He was shocked," Rocio Alarcon said.

When Miguel was surprised a second time in the cafeteria with a cake and his family as well as his classmates, his reaction underscored how much it meant to the 8-year-old, who covered his mouth in surprise.

It's a moment that Rocio Alarcon will be able to tuck away to help her through the difficult moments that lie ahead. She stays strong despite Miguel's diagnosis, because she has to be strong for him and his siblings.

"I have four other children," she said. "I have to be strong."

That's why Friday's birthday party was important, the organizers said.

"We want them to know they are not alone," Eisenman said. "We are a family."

And on Friday, that family — police and firefighters and EMS and teachers and classmates — enveloped a little boy and his family in love and support.

"It shows how wonderful our small community is," Pukash said.

"Everyone comes together," Eisenman said. "There are no boundaries."

Anyone who would like to help the Alarcons can donate to the GoFundme created to help offset some of the medical expenses.

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