Community provides support for beloved school worker battling cancer

MATTHEWS, N.C. — Butler High School security associate Robert Aponte was diagnosed with prostate cancer last month and now former and current students are rallying behind him.

“You go through your own personal battles, and he’s there for you no matter what,” said former student Camila Uriarte. “Check in on you every single day.”

Aponte said the diagnosis was the last thing he wanted to hear.

“Never would’ve thought it would be me,” Aponte said.

Cancer is just half the battle he’s facing. He needs a High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound procedure however, his insurance doesn’t cover it.

“It’s FDA-approved, but here in the United States, is not covered by conventional insurance,” he told Channel 9. “So, with that, we’re trying to raise the money on ourselves.”

His wife started a GoFundMe to help with the financial burden.

The support is more than just monetary donations, which gets Aponte emotional.

“There’s been a lot of lot of messages that I’ve received,” Aponte said. “Some of them, I start reading them, I can’t finish reading them.”

“Those simple reminders can do so much for a person,” Uriarte said.

“I consider myself strong, but at times like this, you take away from me a little bit,” Aponte said. “The support system is comfort.”

Students said Aponte was also instrumental in providing emotional support on campus after a deadly shooting at the school in 2018.

Aponte is hoping to raise $25,000 for his cancer treatment.

CLICK HERE to help Aponte.

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