Originally, all Raymond Rodriguez-Torres was expecting was a public service announcement honoring his late daughter.
He – and his daughter’s memory – received more. Much more.
Rodriguez-Torres hoped the multi-media club at Christopher Columbus High School in Miami, his alma mater, could produce a PSA about Live Like Bella, the nonprofit that battles childhood cancer in honor of his daughter Bella, who died in 2013 when she was 10.
Omar Delgado, the teacher who oversees the club at Christopher Columbus, thought Bella’s story warranted more.
“I said, ‘This is a documentary, and I have the perfect guy to do it,’” Delgado said.
That would be Sebastian Broche, who recently graduated from the private Catholic high school after attending on Florida’s Family Empowerment Scholarship for Equal Opportunities (FES-EO) managed by Step Up For Students.
Sebastian led a team of 18 Columbus students that included his brother Alejandro and produced a moving 30-minute documentary. The project earned Sebastian a Suncoast Student Production Award (SSPA) from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for best director and an SSPA for Alejandro for best graphics.
It was also named the best documentary in the nation by Student Television Network.
It is expected to be released on Amazon Prime Video.
“What they put together is beyond what we could have ever been able to conceive, which was telling Bella’s story in the appropriate way. I think it was extremely touching,” Rodriguez-Torres said. “I’m so proud of these kids. It’s difficult for me to put it into words.”
“Live Like Bella” tells Bella’s story from when she was first diagnosed with Stage Four Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma, through her six-year fight and ends with her legacy, which is a nonprofit that has raised more than $37 million and provided more than $6.5 million in financial support for families in 49 states and 37 countries since its inception in 2013.
There are interviews with Bella’s family and doctors, videos and pictures of Bella, a clip of LeBron James and Dwayne Wade of the Miami Heat, who wrote #LiveLikeBella on their sneakers during the 2013 NBA Eastern Conference Finals, and pictures of Bella that turned into sketches through the magic of editing. The documentary received a standing ovation from the overflow crowd at the Miracle Theater in Coral Cables after its premiere in March.
“It’s pretty powerful,” Sebastian said. “And that was the goal.”
Sebastian and Alejandro, who has attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attends Columbus on a Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA), are Miami natives but lived most of their lives in Costa Rica. The boys returned to Florida during their middle school years. By then, their parents had divorced and their dad, Alejandro Sr., had moved to Miami. He wanted Sebastian to attend Columbus. Their mom, Aimée Uriarte, agreed and moved with the boys to Miami.
The FES-EO made attending the private Catholic high school affordable.
Two years later, Aimée wanted the same high-level academic opportunity for the youngest of her two sons, knowing that’s what Alejandro needed to develop his talents and self-confidence. As a single mother, Aimée was able to achieve that with the FES-UA scholarship.
“I think every family deserves the scholarships, regardless of income or their child’s conditions,” said Aimée Uriarte, the boys’ mother. “I think the whole country should emulate Florida.”
Sebastian admitted that the all-male student body, the strict dress code, and the challenging classes at Columbus took some getting used to.
“God works in mysterious ways,” he said. “The fact that I ended up here is probably one of my biggest blessings. It was definitely the school for me. I feel it has given me so many opportunities. It was something that I didn’t know I needed at the time, but now looking back, I can’t see myself going anywhere else.
“They make you a man and a man of principles, especially.”