When the person you know with the biggest personality is gone from your life, it is impossible to fill the void. It has been nearly three years since my husband Dr. Frank Zaldivar passed, and I no longer try to fill the void. I just try to honor him by attempting to be as passionate about life as he was and continuing to support and nurture the things and people that were most dear to him: his family, his friends, his PERC UCI colleagues and his scientific work, and the Santa Ana STEM project (renamed the Dr. Francisco Zaldivar Aspire Learning Mentor and Achieve (ALMA) Science Academy) that he and a friend developed and that continues to thrive in his absence. Frank was a strong advocate for mentorship, transactional research, and community involvement, and he left an indelible legacy in each of those areas as well as the lives of those who knew him.
Considering he was a scientist through and through, I always considered it ironic that he was the funniest man that I ever met. He could make you laugh upon merely greeting you! “Happy Birthday!” when it wasn’t close to your birthday, or “What’s up Bitches?” or “Happy Turkey Day” when it wasn’t Thanksgiving (and if you dared respond, “It’s not turkey day,” he’d reply, “Yes, it is. You are the Turkey today!” His “Frankisms” as we like to call them, are legendary.
Like other cancer fighters, his battle with cancer was long and arduous. He fought a total of 16 years against Multiple Myeloma and Amyloidosis (symptoms started in 2007, although he was not formally diagnosed until May of 2008), enduring illness relapses, chronic intense pain, multiple hospitalizations and two autologous bone marrow stem cell transplants. Yet, if you met or worked with him during most of those 16 years, you probably had no idea of what he was going through daily, as he faced his illness with an outrageous amount of courage, hope, positivity, and grace. He was thankful for every single day – and his gratitude was palpable and infectious. If you asked him how he was, he would often reply, “I can’t complain!” – even when he had more than his share of things to complain about. He loved life and the things and people in his life so much that to this day, his soul permeates the things and people he touched. His presence was felt at every World Cup game we watched this summer, every reggae song we heard, every hummingbird we spotted, every family wedding we attended, every walk with our dogs that we take, every PERC community event, and every Saturday STEM lesson and that spirit will remain.
When I think of the UCI Anti-Cancer Challenge or the American Cancer Association, I can only imagine that Frank is s humming to Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds,” and smiling graciously and humbly with approval in heaven, when he thinks about the thousands of dollars and resources that have been raised in his honor to continue the fight against cancer. We know that his fight was not singular, and we have felt the pain and impact that cancer has had on so many of the lives of our friends and family. We walk the Anti-Cancer Challenge not just for Frank, but for:
• His beautiful mother, Rosa, who recently joined him in heaven, • His amazing brother, Javier, - survivor • Andrea’s beloved sister, Maria, • My strong young cousin Connor, - survivor • My dear friend, Peg, • And so many, many more.
Please know that any amount that you donate is immensely appreciated and so valuable. And if you are unable to donate financially currently, please consider supporting us on the 10th by walking, cheering, or praying for us.
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