SAN ANTONIO — For Derek Rodriguez, cancer research isn't just a career. It's personal. At 8 years old, Rodriguez was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of cancer that affects muscle tissue.

"I asked myself, 'Why?'" Rodriguez said. "Why did this happen? Is it because I didn't go to bed on time or didn't eat my vegetables?"

Undergoing chemotherapy and radiation as a child, Rodriguez often wore hats in photos, but not for style. He had to cover the hair loss and missing eyebrows.

"I didn't have to learn empathy," he said. "Because I lived through it."

That early experience shaped his life's mission. Inspired by the doctors who treated him, Rodriguez once thought he would become an oncologist.

"Your superhero is your doctor," he said. "So, my initial thought was, I'm going to go

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