It may be hiding in your microwave or in the Deer Park water bottle you brought to practice. It could be lurking in your new iPhone or your mom’s hair dye. Not even the smartest people in the world know where it hides or how to stop it. The culprit is the elusive, sometimes deadly, cancer.

Cancer will battle anyone. Approximately one half of men and one third of women are diagnosed with cancer at some point in their life.

This doesn’t exclude the ones we know and love. This year in the Linganore community, Cindy Alvarado, mother of senior Casey Alvarado, was diagnosed with lung cancer.

Contrary to the discussions in health class about how to avoid lung cancer, Cindy Alvarado doesn’t smoke. She doesn’t use any other form of tobacco, either. In fact, her lungs are most likely stronger than most. As a former marathon runner, she has mastered the lung training necessary to keep steady breath while running several miles at a time.

If lung cancer was separated into two different cancers– lung cancer in smokers and lung cancer in nonsmokers– lung cancer in nonsmokers would still rank among the top ten deadliest forms of cancer. It can be caused by radon gas, secondhand smoke, asbestos and other carcinogens in the workplace, air pollution, and other factors.

After not being able to look down without pain, she made a trip to the doctor. After multiple MRI’s, she got the terrible news. Cindy was diagnosed September 2014 with Stage Four lung cancer.

Although any child of a cancer patient would be terrified, Cindy’s son Casey is all too familiar with the atrocities of cancer and its effects on a family. Three years prior to his mother’s diagnosis, his father passed after a sudden diagnosis of liver cancer. “I actually sat down and said ‘Not again,’ out loud,” Casey remembers. “I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve this. No kid should ever have to see one of their parents get cancer, let alone both of them.”

During the 2014 Linganore fall football season, some members of The Tribe, a group of students who lead chants in the student section, painted their backs in support of their classmate and his mother.  Each week, senior Chaz Atchison painted his back to support defensive lineman Casey Alvarado. He also painted the words #teamcindy. After the final game of the season, Atchison showed his support for the #teamcindy cause by tweeting, “About to shower Alvarado and #TeamCindy off my back for the very last time. Thank you so much for the honor to represent you”

Throughout the past year, the Linganore community has come together to help support the Alvarado family outside of football games. Your 4 State  posted a video documenting how his mother’s diagnosis has influenced his football career. Many came to support Alvarado in the Lungevity Breathe Deep walk in Washington, D.C.– a walk to find a cure and raise revenue for Lung Cancer research.

Families in the community have cooked dinner for the Alvarado family every Monday and Thursday while Cindy fights hard against her tormenting cancer. This basketball season, Linganore students wore red not only to support the Linganore Lancers in their school colors, but to support Team Cindy and all those battling lung cancer.

What else can you do? Upcoming events to support the Alvarados and other families battling lung cancer can be found here.