Kean University Junior Named 2025 C. David Evans Scholarship Recipient

Announcement Made at Saint Peter's University Hospital's Annual Oncology Kids Holiday Party
and Scholarship Awards Program

Initially, the party hosted 14 children who lost a loved one to cancer and who had been treated at Saint Peter's. Since then, attendance has grown to more than 100 and includes not only children and teens, but college- and high school-aged individuals who have returned year after year. The party includes gifts from Santa, but even more impactfully, the event offers the opportunity for participants to share their experiences with others who can relate to their sense of loss and to pay tribute to their loved ones.

When asked why he continues to return to the event year after year, Mercado said, "The individuals that attend really understand what I've been through, and I understand them. Initially, I looked forward to seeing the nurses that treated my father and my grandfather and even though some of them are no longer working there, there's a group of my peers that reunite there and we look forward to seeing each other."

Mercado shared that he was born at Saint Peter's University Hospital. He also shared that his father and grandfather were later patients at the same time, both battling cancer. Sadly, Mercado lost his grandfather in November 2013 and three months later, his father, in February of 2014. He expressed his gratitude for the scholarship that will assist with his tuition expenses.

In 2012, Celeste Evans, whose husband C. David Evans had passed away from cancer at Saint Peter's, decided to ensure the scholarship would be sustainable year after year and support the higher education goals of these children. As a single mother whose daughter Carla started attending the Oncology Kids Holiday Party at age four, Celeste knew the challenges that some of these children would now face having not only lost a parent to cancer, but perhaps facing the financial impact of losing the family's breadwinner as well. She and her husband were both advocates of higher education and Celeste felt strongly that making sure the scholarship continued every year was the best way to honor his legacy.

Avril Keldo, DNP, MSN, ANP-BC, MEDSURG-BC, OCN, director of Professional Practice, Clinical Education and Nursing Research, Saint Peter's University Hospital, and the event organizer for 18 consecutive years, shared her perspective, "The event has become so much more than a holiday party-we've built a 'family' that delivers hope, resilience, and lifelong friendships. As a nurse who started her career in oncology, it's not just the patients that we get to know, but their families, as well, given that many are at the hospital for ongoing treatment and/or hospitalizations."

Mercado said that he looks forward to completing his degree at Kean. In addition to his studies, he recently took up golf, a sport that his father enthusiastically embraced, so it's one way that Mercado continues to honor his legacy. He said one of his early memories of the compassionate care exhibited by Saint Peter's oncology staff was a nurse named Oscar. There were many days after Oscar's nursing shift had ended that he visited Mercado's father at his bedside, just to chat and offer emotional support. Unfortunately, Mercado returned to the Oncology Kids Holiday Party one year, only to learn that Oscar had also passed from cancer, something he chose not to share with his patients, all the while supporting them in their fight.

For more information or to donate to the scholarship fund, visit cdevansscholarship.org .

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About Saint Peter's University Hospital
Saint Peter's University Hospital, a member of Saint Peter's Healthcare System, is a 478-bed acute-care teaching hospital sponsored by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen. Saint Peter's, which received its seventh consecutive designation as a Magnet® hospital for nursing excellence from the American Nurses Credentialing Center in 2025, and its first Magnet with Distinction®, is also a state-designated children's hospital and regional perinatal center, and a regional specialist in diabetes, gastroenterology, head and neck surgery, oncology, orthopedics, and women's services. Saint Peter's is the recipient of the Beacon Award for Excellence from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses for the adult intensive care unit, neonatal intensive care unit, cardiac progressive care unit and the pediatric intensive care unit. The Children's Hospital at Saint Peter's University Hospital provides families with access to a full range of pediatric specialties, including a nationally recognized Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, pediatric surgery and orthopedic surgery featuring innovative anterior scoliosis correction. The hospital has the state's only hospital-based, midwifery-led birth center - the Mary V. O'Shea Birth Center, accredited by the Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers. Saint Peter's is a sponsor of residency programs in obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics and internal medicine, and is a major clinical affiliate of Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences. Visit saintpetershcs.com or call 732.745.8600.