On the evening of Nov. 2, Lezdy Rodriguez received the “Hero of the Night” award at the Toyota Arena, during the Ontario Reign hockey game. “Thank you #Ontario Reign for awarding me #heroofthenight award and a big thank you for everyone who came out to support me,” wrote Lezdy on his Instagram account. The 17-year-old was diagnosed with brain cancer about two years ago, on the first day of his sophomore year.
He was awarded the “Hero of the night” because of his positive contributions to those who are in a similar situation as himself—bravely facing cancer.
Lezdy puts together “Snak paks,” according to his mother Tauche Lyn. The “Snak Paks” are for those in the cancer unit of the Loma Linda Children’s Hospital as well as for those in the clinic about to undergo blood transfusions. The packs are designed accordingly to the holiday season. “For Halloween he gave out buckets full of toys, games and art supplies,” said Tauche.
For Christmas, his mother says that Lezdy will be filling up stockings of goodies. She describes the packs as “items of comfort” for the children. Lezdy helps many of the children in the community in this way and his actions were acknowledged by those in attendance of the game.
Many arrived with signs that expressed gratitude towards the young man. “Way to go Lezdy!” read one sign. Another sign directly acknowledged his efforts: “Snak Paks” read the sign with a heart surrounding the words. Some gathered around Lezdy to pose for photos and proudly display their signs.
At one point, the young man’s name and image were displayed on the monitor for all in attendance to see as he held his trophy with a smile. Some signs showed a local sense of pride regarding the fact that such an inspiring young man attends Grand Terrace High School. “You make GT proud” read one sign. “GTHS Loves Lezdy” read another.
In addition to the anxiety and nervousness of starting sophomore year of high school like other students may experience, Lezdy was faced with the news of being diagnosed with brain cancer.
Lezdy was put in a position in which medication and treatment alike were necessary for his diagnosis. Introducing a whole other set of anxieties than the common worries, and he and his family would face the challenge over the next couple of years and continue to do so now.
Lezdy’s mother Tauche Lyn started a Facebook blog on Dec. 1 of 2017. There, one can find images of Lezdy and logs of his progress to keep up with him. “My son Lezdy was diagnosed with brain cancer on his first day of 10th grade, August 7, 2017.” She wrote, “He has endured over 5 brain surgeries.” The last post was uploaded in October 2019 and "Lezdy has been in the hospital from a severe reaction from his target Chemo. He is stable and doing much better now. We just need to get his fever under control and wait for the echo. We are introducing the chemo back tonight. Prayers for no reactions. This target drug is what is keeping his cancer stable."
Since then, Lezdy has received the “Hero of the Night” award and continues to inspire others. Stephanie Granado-Smith—a woman who nominated Lezdy for the award—describes him as compassionate and “inspiring” and is proud of him and all he does to contribute to the community and those also met with trying and difficult times. Though Lezdy is a young man and dealing with a situation hard for many adults to face, his attitude reveals maturity and strong character.
Lezdy continues to maintain a positive outlook and helps to spread his attitude through delivering “snak paks” while being a strong example of how to make the best of challenging times. To stay up to date on Lezdy’s progress and his positive impact on the community, you can like and follow “Lezdy’s Fight with Brain Cancer” on Facebook or follow Lezdy on Instagram @_Snak_Pak.