Rosa Alcantar
Community Hero 2005
At 15, Rosa likes to go by the nickname “Rosie.” She’s an intelligent, conscientious, and caring teenager who considers her twin sister Rosario to be one of her best friends. She says she enjoys collecting Hello Kitty paraphernalia, reading autobiographies, eating her mom’s great Mexican food, and playing with her dwarf hamster, Pedro, because “he’s so cute!”
She’ll quickly tell you that her favorite school subject is art and that she has an ear for punk rock and hip hop music.
Experiencing surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, meningitis and another bout of meningitis, which put her in a coma, would undoubtedly dampen most people’s spirits. But then again, Rosie isn’t like most people. Her strength, optimism and determination continually inspire her family and friends. Not to mention how bravely she handles the challenge of learning how to walk again. Rosie has this to say about living with meduloblastoma: “It’s given me more faith. It’s taught me to appreciate my family more—and the small, simple things, too.” Rosie’s character is what distinguishes her as a real hero.
