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NORWALK, Conn. Sebastian Hernandez, 8, whose illness inspired many Norwalkers to register as potential bone marrow donors, died recently from the leukemia he battled for two years.
Sebastian was a pupil at Marvin Elementary School and attended religious classes at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish. He loved the color red, the Wii, hot cooked shrimp, cookies, ice cream, monster trucks and the New York Yankees.
Marvin school and St. Thomas church worked together to find a bone marrow match for Sebastian. Hundreds of people had their cheeks swabbed more than a year ago at a bone marrow registration drive to try to help the boy. "It's amazing, the community response," said Sebastian's father, Johan Hernandez.
But the boy did not make it.
"The last few months have been very difficult for the Hernandez family," said the Rev. Sudhir D'Souza of St. Mathew Church, who officiated at the funeral Feb. 4. at St. Thomas Church. The church was nearly full for the funeral, D'Souza said. "After Mass, all the children present in church were given a balloon each, to be released into the sky, as a symbolic gesture of Sebastian going to heaven," he said.
D'Souza took communion to Sebastian at home and at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. "Sebastian was always grateful to everything that God had blessed him with," D'Souza said. "I particular liked his innocent and shy way of saying thank you. He was truly blessed to have a very caring family."
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