ALAMOSA — A cohort of people in Alamosa and Rio Grande Counties are combining efforts to make one of Peyton Sanchez’s dreams come true by creating the Peyton’s Pay It Forward Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit devoted to helping others.

Peyton Sanchez will serve as president and chairman of the board whose members will include Ruthie Brown, Jane Allen, Joelle Boos, Horacio Naranjo, and Larry Zaragoza.

“Peyton has a legacy of helping others and that’s the whole idea of the foundation,” says Gordon Bosa, former judge and Alamosa attorney who is donating his services in forming the non-profit. “We’re going to try charitable fundraising and then help people who need help, whether it’s a life-threatening illness or a serious disability. That’s the whole idea. It was Peyton’s idea and his brainchild and we’re just trying to honor it.”

Over the course of his life thus far, 17-year-old Peyton Sanchez has become well known in Alamosa for his fundraisers, most notably a lemonade stand where a donation of any size gets a free glass of lemonade. Other kids have held fundraisers to contribute, as well.

He has been at it “his whole life,” he says, and he has been highly effective in raising thousands of dollars over the years. His first cause was Children’s Hospital, where he has spent so much of his life. Other causes followed, including, among others, the Make-A-Wish Colorado, the Cancer Relief Fund, Kolton’s Heroes, the Pet Shelter plus a long list of individuals experiencing different challenges in their lives.

He also funds the Peyton Sanchez Scholarship which is awarded to an Alamosa High School graduating senior each year who embodies those qualities of kindness and service to others that he values so deeply.

“He’s always been this way,” says Sheila Sanchez, Peyton’s mother. “In the second grade, one of the boys in his class told him the lunches Peyton brought to school looked really good. So, for that entire year, Peyton packed a lunch for his friend, Israel, every morning. He’s always been aware of other people and their needs, whether it was a kid, a bus driver, a teacher…he would always check in with them.”

Such a commitment to others is remarkable in any 17-year-old, but it is truly exceptional in the case of Peyton Sanchez whose heart and spirit are focused on the well-being of others even as he faces almost unimaginable challenges in his own life.

When he was just six months old, Peyton was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis (NF), a disease that causes tumors to grow on nerves throughout the body.

By the time Peyton was four years old, it was discovered he had tumors on his optic nerves. Doctors began chemotherapy to try to save his vision, but treatment was unsuccessful, and his vision continued to deteriorate.

“He began learning to read and write in Braille while in preschool,” Sanchez says. “Then, in 2015 we were dealt our biggest blow when a large, infiltrative tumor was discovered on Peyton's brainstem.”

The brainstem connects a person’s brain to their spinal cord and controls major bodily functions like breathing, moving, speaking, swallowing and a person’s senses like hearing.

For the next two years after the tumor was discovered, he was enrolled in clinical trials taking place in Houston, which meant traveling every four weeks at the family’s expense to receive medication that, it was hoped, would shrink the tumors.

To cover the cost of travel, Sheila and Charlie, Peyton’s father, sold their pick-up truck and then took turns making the arduous journey with Peyton once a month.

“After 2 years, the drug was no longer working for Peyton and disease progression forced us to stop the trial. It became FDA [Food and Drug Administration] approved a short time later and is now helping many patients with NF worldwide. We were saddened to know it didn't keep working for Peyton, but happy we were able to participate in helping it win FDA approval and save the lives of many with NF.”

Since 2017, Peyton's disease has continued to progress. In the spring of 2018, he took his last steps. The tumor on his brainstem has also robbed him of the ability to talk. Essentially, he's trapped in a body that does not work, but his mind is fully functioning.

“Doctors once told us it is a cruel and relentless journey,” Sanchez says, “and they have been absolutely right.”

Everyday things are much harder now than just a few short months ago. He struggles to breathe. His energy level has made it impossible to go to school, and he tires very quickly. He got a feeding tube put in earlier this year. Chewing and swallowing food and water is now dangerous due to the risk of choking.

Yet, like always, Peyton continues to keep his focus on others, something that, Sanchez believes, speaks of the intrinsic spirituality at the core of who he is. “He’s really been struggling a lot lately and, just the other night, we were saying our special prayers for others, and I asked Peyton, do you want me to say a special prayer for you tonight? And Peyton said, why? I have God.”

Peyton, who is on a recliner nearby with his dog, Copper, at his feet, hears his mother tell the story. In response, he lifts his hand and makes a thumbs up sign.