A simple hashtag started it all.
When I was a kid, my younger brother, Pipe, was diagnosed with cancer at just two years old. I was scared, confused, and overwhelmed.
Both of my parents work in marketing. I didn’t always give them the credit they deserved, since to me they were just “mom and dad.” But during Pipe’s treatment, my dad began sharing updates on social media: surgeries, MRI scans, progress reports, and everything in between. He used a simple hashtag to tie it all together: #todossomospipe, which means “we are all Pipe.”
What started as a way to keep family and friends informed quickly grew into something much bigger. The hashtag went viral. Not just in El Salvador. Not just in the United States. It reached people around the world. We were featured on Fox, CNN, Telemundo, and news outlets in languages we didn’t even recognize. Even Pipe’s favorite superhero, Captain America, invited us to a movie premiere in Los Angeles.
People from across the globe followed his journey, sent gifts, and offered prayers. More than anything, they came together. A story and a message brought complete strangers into one community.
In September 2020, after five years of fighting, Pipe passed away. His story was shared one last time, across the world. Even though he’s gone, the meaning behind #todossomospipe lives on. That hashtag showed me the power of communication. Not just to inform, but to connect, inspire, and build purpose.
That’s why I chose this field. I don’t just understand the power of messaging. I create it.
If you’d like to learn more, search #todossomospipe and see the story that drives my purpose in communication.
As a rising marketing and communications professional, I’ve learned one thing fast: people seriously underestimate the power of this field.
“We already talk every day.”
“Why would you study how to communicate?”
I’ve heard it all, and honestly, some of it is kind of funny. But here’s the truth:
Communication isn’t just about sending a message. It’s about transforming it.
It’s about knowing: