This is Pedro. He’s eight years old, and already a fighter in ways most of us can hardly imagine.When Pedro was six, just before his brother’s birthday, he woke up with sudden, severe pain in his knee. That night, he ended up in the emergency room on morphine. The cause was shocking: a grapefruit-sized tumor in his leg. The diagnosis was Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of bone cancer that strikes only a few hundred children in the United States each year.
The treatment was intense. Pedro endured fourteen cycles of some of the harshest chemotherapy imaginable. Then came what doctors call “local control”: for Pedro, this meant removing eight inches of his femur and replacing it with a prosthetic that extends down into his tibia. It was a grueling journey, but one year later, Pedro is considered NED, no evidence of disease.
Even now, the biggest challenge isn’t the cancer itself, it’s mobility. Pedro can’t run, jump, or ride a bike, and he walks with a limp. But ask Pedro about it, and he’ll probably shrug and say something like, “Who needs to run when you can RACE?”
From a very young age, Pedro has seen the world through the lens of racing. When he was two, he would say “my engine hurts” instead of “my tummy hurts.” Racing has always been his passion, and it became the fuel that got him through surgery and recovery. The promise that he would one day race again kept him going, and the KickCancer Foundation helped make that dream a reality.
One Christmas, Pedro unwrapped his very first go-kart. The contrast to the previous year, when he was still hooked up to IVs, was remarkable. He could barely contain his excitement as he tore off the wrapping paper and climbed in. As soon as he was cleared to drive, snow or no snow, he was on the track. He joined the Colorado State Karting Tour, and he competed with all the determination of a seasoned racer.
Watching Pedro on the track is inspiring. He carefully guides his stiff leg into the kart, maneuvers onto the pedal, and beams from ear to ear. Each lap, each turn, is proof-proof that cancer doesn’t control his life, proof that having a limb difference doesn’t define his limits, and proof to other kids that anything is possible.
Pedro’s perseverance extends beyond the track. At school, some children bullied him, even trying to knock him over and tamper with his walking aids. It could have broken his spirit, but Pedro refused to let it. Instead, he drew strength from his passion, using his love of racing as a shield against the challenges he faced.
He dreams of the day he will stand on a podium, clutch a trophy, and share a message of hope with kids facing similar struggles. In Pedro’s mind, he has always been a race car driver; cancer was merely a speed bump on the road to his dreams.
Outside of racing, Pedro continues to work on re-learning how to walk, but his eyes are on the next big championship. He idolizes Max Verstappen, Charles LeClerc, Lewis Hamilton, and Sebastian Vettel, and he’s already preparing pitches for potential sponsors. For many, this might seem impossible, but Pedro knows what it means to beat the odds and that is exactly what motivates him.
Pedro’s story is one of resilience, determination, and unshakable self-belief. He shows the world that no challenge, no illness, and no limitation can stop someone who knows who they are and refuses to give up on their dreams.
