Oscar Ortiz: Continuing Sebastian’s Legacy and Fighting for a Cure

In October 2015, the Ortiz family’s world was turned upside down. 

A routine day became unforgettable when a large mass was discovered on their eldest son, 
Sebastian Nicolas Ortiz. At just 15 years of age, barely old enough to drive, Sebastian was 
diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, an aggressive soft tissue cancer. 

The treatment options available were decades old, over 40 years without meaningful innovation. Yet Sebastian faced them with unimaginable courage. 

Over the next 14 months, he endured 32 rounds of chemotherapy, 23 rounds of radiation, 
and four major surgeries. Despite his fight, on December 29, 2016, Sebastian’s battle came to an end. 

In the depths of grief, Sebastian’s parents, Oscar and Rose, made a powerful choice: to transform their heartbreak into hope for other families. Their mission became clear, to help create more targeted, less toxic treatments for children fighting cancer. 

From that mission, the Sebastian Strong Foundation was born. Today, Sebastian’s legacy lives on through the foundation’s work, having an impact of over $6 million supporting groundbreaking pediatric cancer research, bringing us closer to a future where no family must endure what the Ortiz family did.