Carteret High School principal, teacher shave their heads as students rally behind classmate battling cancer
CARTERET, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A New Jersey high school community went above and beyond Friday to help a classmate battling cancer.
Aiden Ramirez is a star basketball player and an honors students at Carteret High School.
"He's the most outstanding student ever, always willing to go the extra mile," said Principal Dr. Karen Jones.
A few months after the pandemic started, Ramirez was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma -- bone cancer.
"He's a strong kid and he's resilient," said Maribell Figueroa, Ramirez's grandmother.
Figueroa, also Ramirez's legal guardian, said he was in remission for about six months. Then, they were told the cancer came back in November last year.
"From the moment that we found out about it, all he said, 'What do we do about it?' So that's what we're doing, fighting the fight," Figueroa said.
Ramirez isn't fighting alone.
When teacher and senior class advisor Judee Dunn found out Ramirez had to go through another round of chemotherapy, she decided to raise money for his family. Dunn told the student body she would shave her head if they raised $5,022.
"I am proud to say that we have far exceeded all of our expectations," Dunn said.
Principal Jones vowed to shave her head too if the school raised $2,000 more. In all, they raised $12,022.
"It means the world," Ramirez said.
Ramirez's grandmother called this day and the support humbling.
"And we're grateful. God put us in the right place with the right people, and we're grateful," Figueroa said.
Ramirez said he aspires to be a social worker at a children's hospital, specifically working with cancer patients. He's already been accepted into several colleges.