The Town of Prosper prides itself on coming together as exhibited by the Prosper ISD motto “We are Prosper, We are one” and two families need our support now more than ever. Recently, the Albrechts and Herreras have been severely affected by adverse cancer diagnoses.

Kellee Albrecht, Principal Terry Mouton’s secretary, received news of her husband Darren’s stage three esophageal gastric cancer the night before Thanksgiving, 2023. Custodian Felipe Herrera recently fell ill with what was originally thought to be pneumonia and has since been diagnosed with stage four small cell adenocarcinoma, a rare and fast-growing form of metastatic lung cancer. 

“We are Rock Hill, we are family,” Mouton said. “When one of our teachers or staff hurts, we all hurt, and we’re going to do what we can in order to make sure Kellee has what she needs in order to support her family as much as possible.”

Darren Albrecht is the founder and owner of D’s Mobile Auto Detailing which opened in 2018. While successful, owning his own business and being his own boss makes it difficult to pay the medical bills for his treatment. 

“I do the best I can with what I can bring in,” K. Albrecht said. “But with him usually being the breadwinner and not having that, it’s been very stressful. We have a GoFundMe and we’ve had some friends donate to make sure that we are in our house and have some bills paid. The lights are still on.”

Herrera also has a GoFundMe set up by daughter Victoria Herrera. At the start of December, he was diagnosed and was forced to take a leave of absence immediately thereafter. As he undergoes chemotherapy and treatments at the Methodist Richardson Medical Center, Herrera is staying with Victoria. 

“The hardest thing has been not being able to work and being dependent on other people to take care of me.” Herrera said. 

As his wife is unable to work due to a disability, Herrera is the sole source of income for the couple, and his inability to provide for her as he normally does has been a discouragement. Herrera has been working since he was six years old, when he and his siblings picked cotton and tomatoes in the fields of hometown Pharr, TX.

“We would work from sunup to sundown,” Herrera said. “I remember my mom would make stacks of tacos and bring them out with a cooler of drinks while we were working.”

A custodian of almost two decades, Herrera loves to clean. He has been working for Rock Hill since its establishment in 2020 and has become a supervisor due to his dedication and positive mindset.

“When I train new employees, I always say ‘It doesn’t matter if you’re cleaning a toilet or just wiping off a table–it doesn’t matter how you do it–as long as you do your best,’” Herrera said.

The transition from working up to 12 hours a day– sometimes including Sundays– to being almost completely bedridden proved extremely difficult for Herrera and his family. His children attest that he works too much, but it’s what he has always known and loved. In addition to his day job, Herrera is also a welder and prior to his sickness enjoyed making ornamental fences for clients whenever he found the time. 

“I hate seeing him like this,” Victoria said. “It’s just not my dad. He always stays busy.” 

On Jan 23, 2024, Herrera was rushed to the hospital and was held for examination and intense care for six days. 

“During his hospital stay, several challenges arose,” Victoria states in an update on their GoFundMe page. “The home healthcare team discovered significant swelling in his thighs. After further evaluation, it was determined that he needed immediate attention, leading to the discovery of excess fluid. He’s been put on medication to address this issue, but it has resulted in low blood pressure and added strain on his already tough situation.”

Despite frightening complications, Herrera remains positive and his family refuses to leave his side. He attributes his attitude to his Christian faith.

“You gotta trust in God that he’s gonna do the right thing,” Herrera said.

During this challenging time, Herrera reminisces on his upbringing and continues to provide hope and joy for his three children and eight grandchildren. Albrecht maintains a similar outlook as her husband undergoes treatment. 

“We’re just living one day at a time,” K. Albrecht said. “We’re living in the moment because we’re not given a new day. So today we woke up and we just embraced each other and said, ‘We got another day together’ and we’re just going to make the best of what we have.”

Although the Albrecht family is small, with only one daughter, the Prosper community is anything but, especially when it comes to the love and support shown throughout the school and across social media. 

“The Rock Hill family has been so amazing to me,” K. Albrecht said. “I don’t know what I would do without each and every family member, student, everybody. I don’t have a true family anymore because I’ve lost my parents, so my husband and my daughter are my everything other than Rock Hill, which is my second family.”