Alec From Shriners Net Worth 2026: Alec Cabacungan Today

No reputable outlet has published an estimate of the net worth of Alec Cabacungan, the young man known as "Alec from the Shriners commercials," so the $1 million figure that appeared here before, which had no source, has been removed. Cabacungan has been the national spokesperson for Shriners Children's (formerly Shriners Hospitals for Children) since 2014, when he was about 12. How much, if anything, he is paid for the role has never been disclosed by Shriners or by him.

What is Alec from Shriners' net worth?

There is no reliable figure. Websites that give a number, often $500,000 to $1.5 million, do not cite pay records or contracts. Shriners Children's is a nonprofit health system, and spokesperson arrangements are private. What is known is the scale of the work: by 2019 he was traveling about 80 days a year to visit Shriners hospitals, CBS News reported, and the commercials have aired for more than a decade on national cable networks. Whether that work is paid, volunteer or a mix has not been reported by any outlet we trust.

The earlier version of this page also mixed in a heading about the parents of Kaleb, the younger boy who appears in later Shriners ads. That was an error and has been removed.

Play video: Alec's Journey, Shriners Children's

Who is Alec Cabacungan?

Cabacungan grew up in Oak Park, Illinois, outside Chicago. He was born with osteogenesis imperfecta, a rare genetic disorder known as brittle bone disease, and has said he has broken more than 60 bones. His parents, Gil and Alma Cabacungan, learned of the diagnosis before he was born; he was their fourth child, CBS News reported. He has been a patient at the Shriners hospital in Chicago, on and off, since he was 2 months old, his father told the Wednesday Journal of Oak Park.

There is no cure for the condition. Treatment has included surgeries, physical therapy and regular clinic visits, and he uses a wheelchair.

Becoming the face of Shriners

Director and producer Tracy Trost picked Cabacungan for the Shriners campaign, telling CBS that he had an unusual life force. His line, inviting viewers to imagine a kid told his disability would be a lifelong struggle and then told he could do anything, became one of the best-known charity ads on American TV. CBS reported in 2019 that donations had risen sharply after he began appearing five years earlier.

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His 2017 visit to Inside the NBA showed why the ads worked. Shaquille O'Neal recognized him from the commercials, and when Alec said he wore a bow tie in honor of host Ernie Johnson, the bald co-hosts asked about them; he joked that he had thought about shaving his head.

A hospital wing in his name

In May 2018, when he was 16 and a sophomore at Oak Park and River Forest High School, Shriners named a section of its Chicago hospital after him. The space includes a two-story atrium, an activity mall and a cafe linking the main lobby, offices and labs with the surgical wing. His father called the honor humbling and said many people see Alec as an inspiration even though he does not see himself that way.

Education and sports broadcasting

Cabacungan attended Abraham Lincoln Elementary School and Oak Park and River Forest High School, then studied at Northwestern University from 2022 to 2024, graduating in 2024, according to Primetimer. He has long been interested in sports media; he played wheelchair basketball from high school on and has appeared on sports broadcasts and interviewed athletes. In October 2025 he went back to Northwestern to help run a wheelchair basketball event and said some campus buildings had not been accessible when he was a student.

Is Alec from Shriners still alive?

Yes. In March 2026, Facebook posts falsely claimed he had died after being rushed to hospital. Primetimer reported that the claim had no credible source and that there were no official reports of his death. He attended the Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles in February 2025.

How old is Alec from Shriners?

The Wednesday Journal reported in May 2018 that he had just turned 16, which places his birth in spring 2002 and makes him 24 as of September 2026. The earlier version of this page called him 21.

Why no estimate exists

Charity spokesperson pay is not public, and Cabacungan's other income, from any broadcasting or speaking work, has not been reported. Any net worth figure for him would be invented, so we do not publish one.