It started with a pain in Gabriel Pozo's left shoulder. In 2010, he was 16 and a junior at Freedom HS, pushing carts part-time at WalMart. At work one day, he noticed the pain and, when he took a deep breath, felt another sharp pain. On a recent evening, Gabriel's family gathered around him in their Bethlehem home as he recounted the story of what came next. Together, they look forward to the upcoming second annual Zumbathon, which started as an expression of his mother Vilma Ravelo's gratitude for her son surviving what turned out to be leukemia.

FIRST THOUGHTS

Their doctor at first attributed Gabriel's pain to his work. When the pain spread to his left jaw, Gabriel wondered about his wisdom teeth and saw a dentist. The pain traveled down his side. There was now no doubt something was wrong. His mother took him to the hospital. At her insistence, blood work was completed.

When the phone rang the following Friday, Ravelo took the call.

"They told me to pack a bag and one for Gabriel," she recalled.

Daughter Sardis Pozo continued the story.

"He called me right away," she said of Gabriel. "I could hear my mom in the background, but he was just as calm as he is right now, telling me, 'The doctor's on the phone and I think I have cancer.'"

"I had a feeling," Gabriel said, "and I knew my mom wouldn't be able to drive." Sardis and her fiancé, Ricky Mitman, drove the two to St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, where mother and son stayed for three months.

DENIAL

During that time, Gabriel said, he simply did what he had to do – chemotherapy for early stage acute lymphocytic leukemia, or ALL, the most common form of the disease in those under 19.

Ravelo at first couldn't believe and even denied that the diagnosis was correct. Then she prayed.

"At first, in my head, I thought, 'Just get him better,'" she said. "I didn't understand how big this is."

During the times when Gabriel could be at home, she often had to rush him to St. Luke's emergency department with fever and dehydration.

"I said, 'God, if you allow my son to come out of this, I'll do something.'"

PAYBACK

He did, and she did. In 2014, when the cancer had been in remission for three months, Ravelo made plans to get 50 people together to raise funds for cancer research.

"My 50 people took on a mind of their own," she said. That first Zumbathon got more than 100 participants and raised $3,700.

In addition to her daughter and Gabriel, Ravelo has three other sons – Ione and Eliezer Pozo and Ian Chavez. For the interview, the whole family, right down to Sardis' toddler daughter, Aryana, sported T-shirts promoting the second annual Zumbathon. This year's afternoon of dance will be held Sunday, April 12 from 1 to 6 p.m. at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks. The Zumbathon is open to the public and all proceeds will go to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

HITS HOME

"We're losing a lot of kids to childhood cancers," Sardis said. "They're going through battles and families are struggling. This hits a lot of people close to home. It doesn't matter the age; lots of people get leukemia."

Gabriel is low-key about what he went through, and the warmth of the family leaves no doubt that the experience brought them even closer together. During his treatment, Gabriel was home-schooled so that he was able to graduate on time. He plans to attend college; his interests are finance and economics. In the meantime, he loves to watch football and is a New York Giants fan.

For her part, Ravelo has met many people while promoting the fundraiser and is delighted with the number of new faces she saw at the first Zumbathon. The D.J., teachers, printer and other Bethlehem businesses have nearly overwhelmed her with their outpouring of donations.

The best is yet to come; Vilma expects this year's Zumbathon to be even bigger than last year's and space is limited.

"Get your ticket in advance," Sardis added, "and wear comfortable shoes!"