El Paso mom shaves her head in support of her son
EL PASO, Texas (CBS4) — Seven-year-old Sebastian “Bash” Gonzalez has it all-- an infectious laugh, a Hollywood smile, a gift for drawing and a mother who loves to love him. He also has something he doesn’t want-- leukemia.
“He's been so strong and, to this day, I can't believe that he is so resilient,” said Bash’s mother, Danielle Rodriguez. “He is still the same witty kid that he was before he got diagnosed."
Rodriguez said she first noticed in March 2019 that Bash wasn’t feeling well. After his diagnosis, he spent a month at El Paso Children’s Hospital undergoing treatment. He is now in remission and is being home-schooled until his immune system returns to full strength.
Rodriguez said that, for the most part, Bash has remained the same rambunctious kid he always has been. But there have been, understandably, moments of weakness, she said, including one time when the two were watching a movie on television.
“He turned to me and said, 'Mom, sometimes, when I look in the mirror, I say: Please, God, I'm too young to die,’” Rodriguez said. "Within seconds, we were both in tears and I just had to reassure him that, 'You know, you're in remission. We're doing great.’”
Rodriguez said she knew Bash’s treatments would be difficult. So, early on, she made a big decision.
“When he first got diagnosed I said, if his hair falls off, I'm shaving my head," she said, and she lived up to her word, to the delight of Bash.
“When we shaved our head, me and my mom, I was happy when she shaved her head with me," said Bash.
Bash’s prognosis is good and he’s getting stronger by the day. So, too, is Rodriguez.
“I will always be there for every chemo, for everything,” she said. “I know that I can't take it away or that I can't reverse it. There is nothing else I can do but just be there and show him that we're going to get through it."
