The blare of firetruck sirens, the glow of buildings ablaze, and the thick smell of smoke are all too familiar for Neil Meade. As a seasoned firefighter in San Antonio, he’s faced many dangers and helped others through life-threatening situations. But nothing could prepare him for a cancer diagnosis. Meade, a devoted family man and veteran of countless emergency calls, suddenly found himself battling a personal, silent, unpredictable opponent — thyroid cancer.
A Passion for Serving People
Meade, a native of Chicago, moved to San Antonio with his parents, returned to Chicago, but eventually returned to San Antonio and lives here now. He started his service career in the Air Force. “I spent eight years on active duty in the Air Force, and when I got out ... I tested ...
Arnoldo Rodriguez prides himself in keeping a professional appearance. Whether it be in his position as an educator, school administrator, executive, or in educational sales, the McAllen, Texas, resident always dressed to impress. That’s why Arnoldo knew when he put on a crisp suit and the once-clinging fabric hung loosely at his arms, he knew something wasn’t quite right. Around this time, he would also get excessively tired despite his penchant for exercise. Everything pointed in one direction, and his swollen lymph nodes confirmed the worst ¾ he had cancer. Months of unsuccessful lymphoma treatment led him to participate in a clinical trial and it was that decision that led him on the path to patient leadership. “The clinical trial was my ...
Marielle Santos McLeod thought she knew a lot about cancer care. Years as a health professional had given her time to learn about cancer care and gain a closer look at the challenges Latinos face in getting treatment. That’s why, when the mother of four was diagnosed with colon cancer at age 36, she was shocked by just how little she really knew. However, it was enduring the disease as a young Latina that guided her toward her life's purpose – serving as a patient health leader to uplift the voice of Latino cancer survivors. “I love advocacy .... It's like one of the things that I'm convinced that I was put on this earth to do. I just had to get cancer to get to it first,” Santos McLeod said. Update 03/16/2026: After the initial publication of her story ...
Gregory Aune was 16 when he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Aune spent a year enduring grueling treatment, losing over 70 pounds. But he survived. His experience motivated him to pursue a clinical career and help children with cancer. Today, Dr. Aune is an associate professor of pediatric hematology and oncology at the Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute (GCCRI) of UT Health San Antonio, on a mission to find new ways to help and heal patients. That's why he helped found the Gear Up Against Kids Cancer Bike Ride — to raise awareness of childhood cancer and support the mission of the GCCRI. The inaugural Gear Up Against Kids Cancer Bike Ride took place on April 2, 2022, in Floresville, Texas. The 5th annual bike ride is set for 8 a.m. on Saturday, May ...
Yolanda “Yoli” Barrera Day wasn’t aware she had stomach cancer. Not very many do because from a health standpoint, stomach cancer looks like any other gastrointestinal ailment. But for Yoli, stomach cancer preyed on her advancing age. After months of suffering from symptoms such as extreme fatigue and shortness of breath, Yoli was diagnosed with gastric adenocarcinoma. It was a diagnosis that most may deem a death sentence, but not Yoli. Yoli was determined to make it out the other side and help others do the same by becoming a health leader and supporter for change.
Deceptive Symptoms Hiding Stomach Cancer
It was early 2021 and Yoli was feeling more tired than usual. While the exhaustion was draining, it wasn’t enough to raise ...
On a late October night, Linda Mota woke with a start. While her mind should have been consumed with choosing a family Halloween costume, her thoughts were elsewhere. “I was laying down and something inside of me told me, check your side,” she said. What Linda felt wasn’t overwhelming, but it was clear there was a small lump there, resembling the shape of a little ball. She initially dismissed what she found, but her intuition continued to scream at her that something was amiss. “Something inside of me told me, ‘No. you need to get checked, you need to get checked,’” she told herself. It turned out she had breast cancer.
Linda Mota and Her Startling Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
Linda was diagnosed with breast cancer in the ...
Smoking cigarettes is the top cause of preventable death in the United States. The good news is that help is out there—just ask Katherine Saucedo. Saucedo, a San Antonio resident, got help quitting smoking from the no-cost Quitxt bilingual text-message service from UT Health San Antonio. Quitxt, created by Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez and Dr. Patricia Chalela at UT Health SanAntonio with the support of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, sends texts messages to help South Texas adults quit smoking. Messages help with motivation to quit, setting a quit date, handling stress, using nicotine replacement (if needed), and more. Saucedo has been smoke-free for the past three months using Quitxt. “Huge improvements, just better lung capacity. I don't feel short of ...
During Hispanic Heritage Month, Salud America! is celebrating Latino trailblazers, historical figures, and inspirational stories. This year we recognize Leonardo “Flaco” Jiménez, a conjunto and Tejano music icon. Before his recent passing in July 2025, Jiménez dazzled audiences for decades as one of the most well-known Tex-Mex musicians. Jiménez helped popularize conjunto music, a genre “developed by Texas-Mexican working-class musicians, who adopted the accordion—the main instrument in conjunto music—and the polka from nineteenth-century German settlers in northern Mexico,” according to the Texas State Historical Commission.
What Was Early Life Like for Flaco Jiménez?
Flaco Jiménez was born in San Antonio, Texas, on March 11, 1939. He came from a very ...
Cancer is not a disease that happens overnight. It often creeps up slowly, silently, and without warning — revealing itself in some of the most unlikely ways. That’s exactly what happened to U.S. Congress Rep. Joaquin Castro. Amid a car accident involving a Spanish boar in Spain, Castro received some devastating news — he had neuroendocrine cancer. While a treatable form of cancer, Castro won’t get to ring the bell signaling the end of his treatment. For Castro, treatment continues at UT Health San Antonio. "Unless something changes, I’ll have cancer for the rest of my life, but thankfully, and hopefully, cancer won’t take my life,” he said during an address to the 2024 Advancing Cancer Research for Latinos And All Populations ...
