The NICK Foundation, which services an eight-county area, assists young people like Porogi with emergency finances or whatever they need.
“Whatever they need we do our best to help,” Criner said.
Criner keeps her thoughts positive for Porogi.
“We always choose hope and pray for that miracle,” Criner said.
Porogi received several scholarships, and some help purchasing books from the NICK foundation, so he could attend the University of St. Francis in Fort Wayne where he was pursuing a career as a physical therapy assistant.
“It was at the beginning of his sophomore year that he found out his osteosarcoma metastasized to his lungs,” his mom said.
Porogi, who has a ready smile for everyone he meets, lives in Walkerton with his mom and younger brother, Royce, 13.
He remains passionate about basketball and said he looks forward to going fishing with friends or his grandfather once the weather is nice.
And Porogi isn’t ready to give up his cancer fight even though his doctors suggested months ago it might be time for him to go into hospice care, his mom said.
“They (his doctors) didn’t think he would make it to this point,” she said.