Omaha nonprofit CEO battling stage IV cancer spending final days serving veterans

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - One by one on Wednesday, J.E. Dunn Construction in Omaha presented checks of more than $5,000 each to three veterans organizations: Guitars for Vets , Moving Veterans Forward , and the First Responders Foundation 's JAVELAN program.

"We provide customized service dog training for local retired first responders and veterans," said JAVELAN program director Mike Krause. "Every dollar that's raised stays local in kind of the Omaha metro area."

Moving Veterans Forward helps vets find housing, moves them in, and helps furnish the homes .

Founder and CEO Ron Hernandez said in the past 15 years, his organization has helped more than 3,300 homeless veterans in the Omaha and Council Bluffs area.

And he remains committed to the effort, despite facing his biggest battle yet.

"Back in April, I was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer," Hernandez said. "We all know that the life expectancy with that terrible disease is not very long."

Hernandez said doctors gave him up to a year to live.

That prognosis, and the fact that he's getting chemotherapy every other week, isn't holding him back though.

"I know God's got his hands over me to where I can get up every day and continue to do my mission every day to help our veterans and help our citizens in the Omaha area," he said.

He also feels some of his drive to keep going comes from his military background.

"Mission comes first. You've got a job to do. The job needs to get done. People are depending on you to be there to do that job. They're expecting you to be there. And I believe your word is worth more than any gold or any piece of paper that has a present on it. Your word is who you are."

Even though he's determined to stick with his mission for as long as he is standing, he still hasn't given up hope on his health.

"Why can't a good old boy from Papillion, Nebraska be the first one to beat pancreatic cancer? So I'm going to keep fighting, and maybe that day will come."

Hernandez said Moving Veterans Forward will continue operating even after he is gone, but that the group needs the community's support to do what it does.