San Jose Teen Makes Steady Progress On Bucket List With Only 2 Weeks Left To Live
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) -- At 17 years old, Alex Matlosz-Cox has already driven a Lamborghini, met San Francisco 49ers alumni and flown a private airplane on his own.
But Matlosz-Cox, who's been fighting an aggressive bone cancer called osteosarcoma since he was 15, has had to grow up fast.
Since March 2012, he's had 16 surgeries and 14 months of aggressive chemotherapy. His cancer was in remission, but came back in February, along with tumors in his lungs and near his heart.
Then last week, doctors delivered the most crushing news: he had two weeks left to live.
But the news has only further propelled the San Jose teen to continue living an adventurous life through an 11-item bucket list that started out as a joke between him and his mother. After a friend suggested putting the bucket list up on giveforward.com, his story spread quick. Soon, strangers made it possible for him to fly a private airplane from Palo Alto to Santa Cruz, sail on a private sailboat, go spear fishing and drive at least six different exotic cars.
Matlosz-Cox, whose 18th birthday is Nov. 22, says there are still many things he would like to accomplish, including attending his first-choice college, Seattle Pacific University, seeing the northern lights and getting a tattoo.
His giveforward campaign has already exceeded expectations, raising nearly $14,000 of the $9,500 goal.
