A 16-year-old cancer sufferer who raised more than $45,000 for pediatric cancer and inspired a nationwide awareness campaign has passed away. Alex Muñoz, who inspired the 'Team Alex' campaign, died on Wednesday afternoon 'after a courageous 19 month battle with brain and spinal cancer,' his family wrote on his Facebook page. 'He was 16 years old and the light of our lives,' they wrote. 'He will be forever missed and forever loved.' Muñoz, from Oceanport, New Jersey, was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a malignant brain tumor, in April 2013 and underwent radiation, chemotherapy and brain surgery. Loss: Alex Muñoz, pictured front right with Stephen Colbert and his parents, has passed away after a 19 month battle with brain and spinal cancer, aged just 16. He had inspired the campaign 'Team Alex' But when he returned for a routine MRI check up, doctors found that the cancer had returned, far more aggressively, in his spine. 'But he stayed very positive and didn't want the attention to be on him,' his mother Laura told NJ Advance Media in an interview last month. 'He wanted the focus to be on fighting brain tumors.' The Kortney Rose Foundation, which was set up by the parents of nine-year-old Kortney after she died from brain cancer in 2006, heard of Alex and got in touch to hold a fundraiser for him. But he wouldn't allow them to focus their fundraising on paying for his medical expenses and instead asked to join them to raise money for pediatric cancer research. Tragic: The high school student, pictured before his treatment, was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2013 . Fight: Alex is pictured with his family during a Caribbean cruise he took with the Make-A-Wish Foundation . Staying upbeat: Alex, pictured with Charlie the therapy dog in August, always remained positive, family said . By last month, approximately $45,000 had been donated in Alex's name for pediatric brain cancer research, his mother said. When the Muñoz family learned that his condition was much worse than they thought, Kortney Rose's mother Kristen Gillette designed t-shirts and wristbands reading: Team Alex - No One Fights Alone.' Within days, the campaign of support unexpectedly took off in the community, as local leaders, residents and university students shared photos of their 'Team Alex' signs. His classmates started the hashtags #StayStrongAlex and #NoOneFightsAlone on social media, while people from across the country wrote him messages of support. Even Stephen Colbert invited Alex and his family to attend a taping of his show 'The Colbert Report', where he posed with the star. 'Alex Muñoz is a clear example of selflessness and caring, and he is by all accounts, a great kid,' his principal at Shore Regional Vinnie DalliCardillo said last month. Support: Members of his community started posting signs reading 'Team Alex - No One Fights Alone' Loved: University of Florida fraternity brothers wore gray in support of Team Alex just a few weeks ago . Alex, pictured with his parents,  was invited to the set of the Colbert Report and met the host last month . 'When you see all of those signs and see how he has affected the kids around him, it is a tribute to him and his contributions to this community.' He was moved to in-home hospice care in October, but he never stopped appreciating the messages. 'He is so incredibly moved,' Laura Muñoz said. 'He is so amazed and overwhelmed. It's just given him such great, great joy.' After news of his death, friends paid tribute to the teenager on his Facebook page. 'I may have been his kindergarten teacher, but Alex taught me so much more about character and strength,' Carole Bisti Valentino wrote. 'He led by example, with hope, kindness, love for his family and that infectious smile! He is and will always be my hero.'
Alex Muñoz, 16, passed away in New Jersey on Wednesday after battling brain and spinal cancer since April 2013 .
After he was diagnosed, he joined forces with a local foundation to raise money for pediatric cancer and had raised $45,000 by last month .
The foundation's owner made wristbands, t-shirts and signs reading 'Team Alex' and within days, people from around the country were supporting him .
A 16-year-old cancer sufferer who raised more than $45,000 for pediatric cancer and inspired a nationwide awareness campaign has passed away. Alex Muñoz, who inspired the 'Team Alex' campaign, died on Wednesday afternoon 'after a courageous 19 month battle with brain and spinal cancer,' his family wrote on his Facebook page. 'He was 16 years old and the light of our lives,' they wrote. 'He will be forever missed and forever loved.' Muñoz, from Oceanport, New Jersey, was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a malignant brain tumor, in April 2013 and underwent radiation, chemotherapy and brain surgery. Loss: Alex Muñoz, pictured front right with Stephen Colbert and his parents, has passed away after a 19 month battle with brain and spinal cancer, aged just 16. He had inspired the campaign 'Team Alex' But when he returned for a routine MRI check up, doctors found that the cancer had returned, far more aggressively, in his spine. 'But he stayed very positive and didn't want the attention to be on him,' his mother Laura told NJ Advance Media in an interview last month. 'He wanted the focus to be on fighting brain tumors.' The Kortney Rose Foundation, which was set up by the parents of nine-year-old Kortney after she died from brain cancer in 2006, heard of Alex and got in touch to hold a fundraiser for him. But he wouldn't allow them to focus their fundraising on paying for his medical expenses and instead asked to join them to raise money for pediatric cancer research. Tragic: The high school student, pictured before his treatment, was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2013 . Fight: Alex is pictured with his family during a Caribbean cruise he took with the Make-A-Wish Foundation . Staying upbeat: Alex, pictured with Charlie the therapy dog in August, always remained positive, family said . By last month, approximately $45,000 had been donated in Alex's name for pediatric brain cancer research, his mother said. When the Muñoz family learned that his condition was much worse than they thought, Kortney Rose's mother Kristen Gillette designed t-shirts and wristbands reading: Team Alex - No One Fights Alone.' Within days, the campaign of support unexpectedly took off in the community, as local leaders, residents and university students shared photos of their 'Team Alex' signs. His classmates started the hashtags #StayStrongAlex and #NoOneFightsAlone on social media, while people from across the country wrote him messages of support. Even Stephen Colbert invited Alex and his family to attend a taping of his show 'The Colbert Report', where he posed with the star. 'Alex Muñoz is a clear example of selflessness and caring, and he is by all accounts, a great kid,' his principal at Shore Regional Vinnie DalliCardillo said last month. Support: Members of his community started posting signs reading 'Team Alex - No One Fights Alone' Loved: University of Florida fraternity brothers wore gray in support of Team Alex just a few weeks ago . Alex, pictured with his parents,  was invited to the set of the Colbert Report and met the host last month . 'When you see all of those signs and see how he has affected the kids around him, it is a tribute to him and his contributions to this community.' He was moved to in-home hospice care in October, but he never stopped appreciating the messages. 'He is so incredibly moved,' Laura Muñoz said. 'He is so amazed and overwhelmed. It's just given him such great, great joy.' After news of his death, friends paid tribute to the teenager on his Facebook page. 'I may have been his kindergarten teacher, but Alex taught me so much more about character and strength,' Carole Bisti Valentino wrote. 'He led by example, with hope, kindness, love for his family and that infectious smile! He is and will always be my hero.'
$45,000 for pediatric cancer and inspired a nationwide awareness campaign has passed away. Alex Muñoz, who inspired the 'Team Alex' campaign, died on Wednesday afternoon 'after a courageous 19 month battle with brain and spinal Jersey, was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a malignant brain tumor, in April 2013 and to raise money for pediatric cancer research. designed t-shirts and wristbands reading: Team media, while people from across the country wrote