The hospital photo of Enrique Alvarez taken in October says a lot about what this young man has been through in his 20 years.
The eight-inch scar snaking down the front of his chest from multiple heart surgeries is four years old yet plenty visible. Yet it’s not as raw as the port wound to the left that’s the result of chemotherapy he underwent after being diagnosed with cancer a year ago.
You may recall the story I wrote about this young man, who struggled with a serious cardio condition through 2020, then was diagnosed with testicular cancer days after his graduation from West Aurora High School.
The focus, however, was on how Enrique’s love of baseball helped him cope with so many challenges, including the 2016 killing of his beloved 17-year-old stepsister Naome Zuber in Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighborhood.
His baseball days had already been interrupted too many times by heartbreak and heart procedures, and he was worried this latest medical setback would upend his lifelong dream of playing on a college team.
Even with a couple strikes against him, however, Enrique was ready to swing for the fences.
Turns out the chemo stole his thick dark hair, along with nearly 50 pounds from his already slim body, but it could not rob him of determination. Amazingly enough, while undergoing chemotherapy at Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital in Geneva, the young athlete still competed on WCC’s fall baseball team. After finishing a four-hour treatment one morning, Enrique went home, put on his uniform and played shortstop, second and third base in a game against Harper College, where he also drove in two runs.
Even while undergoing chemotherapy, Waubonsee Community College freshman Enrique Alvarez, seen here batting, played some games on the school’s fall baseball team. (Ernesto Alvarez)
The decision was made to redshirt Enrique for the 2024 spring season to give his body a chance to heal, but he’s remained as much a part of the team as that eligibility status allows. In addition to attending all practices, which is not mandatory as a redshirt, he worked a part-time job while taking classes so he could pay his own way on the team’s spring trip to Florida.
As a redshirt freshman, all he was able to do was cheer the Chiefs on from the bench and carry the video equipment – mundane tasks for an athlete who wanted nothing more than to get in the game – but he also realized there are more ways to prove yourself a winner than with a bat or ball in hand.
“Enrique never complained,” his father told me, even when nausea would hit or he’d remove his baseball cap only to find swaths of hair sticking to the hat.
Multiple heart surgeries and, more recently, chemotherapy have left scars on Enrique Alvarez, but he’s not let these medical issues keep him from playing college baseball. (Ernesto Alvarez)
“It did hurt … I took pride in my hair so it sucked losing it all,” the younger man admitted. “But I was more focused on powering through it.”
Dad Ernesto (Ernie) Alvarez, a well-respected high school and private baseball coach whose love for this sport was obviously passed on to his son, told me he’s never been more proud of Enrique, who in February was declared cancer free.
Not only does Enrique work out religiously – he’s already gained nearly all the weight that was lost – “he’s applied himself to his schoolwork” like never before, said his dad.
“I was never a big homework guy, but since I’ve gone through all this I know what it is to be a college athlete,” insisted Enrique, who wants to pursue a degree in business. “This journey has forced me to adapt and change who I am and how I plan to go through life.”
Father and son both agree it has also made them appreciate how short but precious life is.
“After everything we’ve been through, it would be normal to wonder when the next shoe will drop,” said Ernie. ”But I told him we’re going in the right direction. Let’s keep riding the wave.”
Or in this case, keep swinging for the fences.
dcrosby@tribpub.com
