A fifth-grade student at Decker Elementary School marked the end of nearly three years of cancer treatment by ringing a bell in the school library, surrounded by classmates, teachers, and family. The celebration was not just for his recovery but also highlighted the role played by the school nurse in identifying his illness early.
The story began in October 2023 when Emilio Zuniga visited the nurse’s office with a sore throat. Nurse Gabriela “Gabby” Cerda noticed swollen lymph nodes during a follow-up visit and decided to call Emilio’s mother, Maria Rios.
“He came in a couple of times within about a week with the same complaint, his throat hurting,” Cerda said. “The first time there was no fever, but the second time there was. I also noticed his lymph nodes were swollen. That’s when I knew I needed to call his mom.”
Cerda remained vigilant and made several calls to Rios, asking her to keep monitoring Emilio’s symptoms.
“At first, I thought, ‘The nurse is just worrying too much,’” Rios said. “But she kept calling, checking on him, making sure we were paying attention.”
Emilio fainted while shopping for a Halloween costume that weekend. He was taken to the hospital where he was diagnosed with cancer.
“When she told me, my heart just dropped,” Cerda said. “But I also knew we caught this early. That mattered.”
Emilio underwent months of chemotherapy and hospital stays. Cerda stayed involved throughout his treatment.
“They caught it at a point where treatment could really help,” Cerda said. “That gave us all hope.”
Support from friends and teachers played an important role during Emilio’s recovery.
“My friends, my teachers, they helped me stay happy and try to be happy,” he said.
At the bell-ringing event marking the end of his treatment, Emilio shared advice with others: “Stay strong. Stay proud. Don’t give up. Try your best,” he said.
Cerda reflected on her experience as a school nurse: “I never imagined that working in a school, I would help identify something this serious,” she said. “But this is why we’re here, to care, to notice, and to speak up for our kids.”
Emilio will continue regular checkups every six months for now before moving to annual visits.
