the Myoepithelial CarcinomaprojectSebastián Aurelio Casaus Natale, born in May 2019. Loving life on the trampoline.
To raise funds to find a cure for Myoepithelial Carcinoma (MEC).
In October 2021, our beautiful son, Sebastián, was diagnosed with Myoepithelial Carcinoma (MEC), which metastasized to his lungs. MEC is an exceptionally rare and aggressive cancer that is known to have a high rate of recurrence.
As we watch our son fighting everyday for his life, we are beside him fighting as well. Despite our grief, we are hopeful for a miracle and this project is our mission to find a cure. We need your help.
What we are doing.
We are in a race against time—not only for Sebastián, but for all MEC patients, present and future. There is an urgent need for research to better understand this disease, and our patient-driven initiative aims to resolve that. By initiating and funding MEC-specific research, we can accelerate the discovery of effective treatments and ultimately a cure for MEC.
Where we are coming from.
The pages of this website were designed to reveal the portrait of a family. While the videos and images shared on these pages reflect ours, we share them as a window for you to imagine other families who may be suffering our same despair, heartache, and fear. It is an ode to a community of people who most days feel unseen and utterly helpless in caring for their babies. And yet as parents and caregivers, we know we will go to any length to fight for our children.
Our lives are made up of priceless moments, one right after the other: moments of joy and grief and everything in between. If we hadn’t realized it before, cancer taught us that. To fight for one life is to fight for the miracle it is to be alive. This is what we are fighting for and is the reason why we will relentlessly work to find a cure.
Some of the images are difficult to take in and it took all the courage we could muster to capture them. But it feels important to do so as a way to honor the countless moments of fear and heartbreak our son and others must forge through.
They say your children are your greatest teachers and certainly that has been true of ours. Every day, our Sebastián teaches us about resilience and strength and inexhaustible grace. He shows us what it means to be fiercely present, to not take anything for granted, and to look at every moment we are alive as the miracle that it is.
Naomi & Michael, parents to Santiago & Sebastián
Donate
Donate to help fund MEC cancer research.
Connect with us
Connect with us if you, or someone you know, has MEC
Spread the word
Spread the word! Share about our work with others.
Record a song
Record a song for Sebastián, no matter your vocal talents!