STAFFORD, Va. — Be strong for Dom. It’s the powerful catchphrase that caught on as of late; words used to remember a six-year-old Superman who fought hard for his life.
Dominic Thomas Beltran, of Stafford, passed away Thursday, Feb. 7 at his home. He was diagnosed with cancer the day just after turning 1-year-old, when a mass was discovered in his abdomen – doctors said it was Stage IV Neuroblastoma.
But that wouldn’t get Dominic down, as he successfully fought the disease and gave his family hope along the way. Dominic relapsed twice, once in Feb. 2010 and again in March 2011.
Now, community members are coming together Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. at Mainstreet Grill and Bar in North Stafford help raise money to help Dominic’s parents payoff mounting medical bills. In honor of Dominic’s spirit, everyone has been asked to dress like Superman.
“We called him our ‘little Superman’ because he had radiation therapy so many times and made it through, so we knew he had to have special powers like the Green Lantern or Superman, or some kind of super hero,” said Jaymie Gerace, a family friend who lives next door to Dominic’s parents, Harvey and Margaret.
Gerace said she was with the family through nearly every step of the treatment process for the child, and she’s now speaking for his grieving parents who are set to bury their son Thursday following a ceremony in Fredericksburg.
Part of the reason Dominic was able to stay positive and fight his disease for so long, said Gerace, is because his parents didn’t let cancer get him down.
“We never used the word ‘cancer’ around him,” said Gerace. “After Dominic relapsed, we didn’t want our children to be afraid of that word, and always thought it would be best for his recovery if he was able to focus on the positives and getting better and not his cancer – it’s mind over matter.”
Dominic and Gerace’s son often played together, running around outside on soccer fields, playing video games, riding go-carts, and because Dominic’s mother is also a nurse, the two children would play together inside Dominic’s living room while he was given treatment for his ailments, said Gerace.
At the fundraiser this Sunday, live music will be featured on stage, and so will door prizes, a silent auction, and 50/50 raffle. Tickets can still be purchased for the raffle and prizes won even if you can’t attend the event, organizers said. Those pre-event raffle tickets can be purchased at Mainstreet Grill and Bar.
