Student graduates early to grant dying mom's wish

McALLEN - Antonio "Tony" Olivarez Jr. admits he wasn't the best student.

But when the 18-year-old's mother, Maria Elva, was diagnosed with lung and kidney cancer a year ago, Tony made sure to bring up his grades so she could see him complete high school.

"Mom's last wish was to see my brother graduate," said his older sister, Veronica Bueno.

Tony granted his mother's wish Wednesday, becoming the first student to graduate from the La Joya school district's new Palmview High School, which opened this year. Tony also plans to walk across the stage with his classmates June 6 during the high school's regular commencement ceremony.

Bueno and their father, Antonio Olivarez Sr., asked the high school's principal, Mary Ann Contreras, if Tony could receive his diploma early because his mother's doctors said she didn't have long to live.

"I said: ‘By all means,'" Contreras said.

Because the official diplomas are not yet ready, Contreras had the school make a certificate for Tony to receive Wednesday.

The school had two ceremonies at McAllen's LifeCare Hospital, where Maria Elva is a patient: one in his mother's room, because her bed would not fit through the doorway to the cafeteria, and another in the cafeteria, where family and friends awaited Tony.

"This is a special day for my mom," he said after the ceremonies. "She waited 18 years to see me graduate."

"She showed me to never give up," he added. "She has cancer and is still fighting it."

The past year has been difficult for the teen and his family, he said. He visited his mother at the hospital every day after school and helped take care of his younger sister, Tanya, and his nieces and nephews.

And he helped his father and other sisters make funeral and other arrangements for his mother.

Despite her illness, Maria Elva was always happy, and that kept Tony determined, the son said.

"When she saw me with my cap and gown, she just smiled," he said. "I think this is her best day, her proudest day ever."

It also was a proud day for his father.

"It is a privilege and an honor for me to see him graduate," Olivarez said. "But this is just part of it."

The father will be equally proud to see his son walk across the stage in June, he said. And he already is proud of his children for staying strong during their mother's battle with cancer.

"You have to give support to your kids," he said.