MILWAUKEE, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- A Milwaukee seventh-grader has won a national essay contest describing how being bilingual has been an asset and how it helped him tell his mom he had cancer.
Ignacio Contreras, 11, will receive $1,500 and a trip to San Antonio. He has stage two Hodgkin's and doctors say the prognosis is good, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said.
Advertisement
His mother, Margarita Contreras, who speaks only Spanish, recalled how she learned of her child's illness. "He got so sad and I said, 'Son, tell me what's the matter. What are they saying?' He said, 'Mom, don't cry. They say I have cancer.'"
Later in a formal meeting with Ignacio's parents and doctors, a hospital translator helped outline the diagnosis and treatment options.
