“I’m the cofounder of the Survivor Games—a virtual arcade that I’ve sought to share with other patients,” says Steven, now 19 and a freshman in college. (Yes, luckily for us all, he’s happy, healthy, and engaging with the world as he was born to do.) “The Survivor Games gives kids the ability to connect with other people who may be going through the same thing. It provides a sense of being a kid, which gets pushed to the side when cancer is part of your life.” Currently in its beta stages, Survivor Games is set to be a galvanizing online community where kids with complicated medical conditions can link up and simply be kids. The network allows them to play their games in a safe environment with other teens, interact with one another, catch up on the latest gaming news, and watch more experienced players trounce their former high scores. Steven also created the 18-level video game called “Play Against Cancer.” By the end of the 18 levels, a message is displayed, declaring that “You beat cancer.”

Eddie Gonzalez, Steven’s uncle is also co-founder of the Survivor Games. His devotion to his nephew is palpable and powerful; it’s clear that Steven has been his hero for quite a while now. “Everyone in the family will agree that Steven had a strong, optimistic outlook on life even before his diagnosis,” Eddie says. “In some ways it has allowed new parts of him to come to the surface.” Eddie and Steven insist that Steven’s cancer treatment—as well as the gathering sensation that is the Survivor Games—is a joint family venture. “His mom was his advocate from the start, his dad his companion, his sister started organizing blood drives at age ten,” Eddie says. “It’s all been an extension of the way they function as a family.”