Never Give Up
How Chris Ramirez beat cancer
Chris Ramirez always loved baseball.
As a junior at Capuchino High School in San Bruno, Chris was a utility man with a powerful arm. He could pitch, catch, field grounders, and track down fly balls. His versatility and positivity made him a team favorite.
But during his senior year, as winter gave way to spring and friends grew excited to celebrate the end of an era, Chris felt … off. There were headaches and other strange symptoms. “I was supposed to be worried about senior prom and graduation,” he says. “But one day, I had a stroke.”
Chris was rushed to a local hospital, where a CT scan revealed a mass in his brain. Doctors diagnosed a brain tumor and told Chris’ mother, Sara, a single parent, that her son might only have a few months to live. But they also referred Chris to UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals – ranked as the best in Northern California for cancer care. Nalin Gupta, MD, performed a successful surgery to remove the tumor and gave Chris a revised prognosis: With rigorous treatment, a full recovery was possible.
Chris dove into chemotherapy with the spirit of an athlete. “As they say in baseball, I was gonna go down swinging,” he says. “I didn’t want to feel sorry for myself. I wanted to go out there and do the best that I could.” Chris recalls being less worried about cancer and more concerned about reassuring his mom that he would be OK and getting back to baseball.
Sara and Chris fought back together. Chris lost his sense of taste for everything except Sara’s cooking, which soothed him at his lowest moments. And even while in the throes of treatment, Chis worked hard to get back to the baseball field, returning for his team’s two final games. After graduation, the Make-A-Wish Foundation offered Chris the chance to suit up with the Los Angeles Dodgers for spring training – a lifelong dream come true.
Today, Chris is a healthy 32-year-old father who has hung up his baseball cleats in favor of a life devoted to pediatric cancer advocacy; he regularly appears as a speaker and a volunteer at local events. He says he wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for his mother’s love and the dedication of his care team at UCSF, which not only saved his life but also treated him like family.
"I am beyond grateful for what they did for me," Chris says. "They cared for me like I was their own child. They told me everything would be OK, and it was.
"I know UCSF will find a cure for pediatric cancer someday. Until then, I will lend my voice and my story to make sure kids like me never give up. I know that's why I’m still here."