He learned of his medical condition soon after.
For two years, Peralta tried various treatments, and lived longer than most people with his condition.
Students said they admired his courageousness.
"He was really a fighter," Morielli said. "He literally never complained."
And Hellmiss-Peralta, who also said the professor had a "strong will to live and fight," pointed to one moment that exemplified her husband's strength.
When she told him it was unfair that he had contracted cancer, he replied, "I'd rather it be me that someone else."
A funeral mass will take place at 11 a.m. on Saturday at St. Peter's Parish in Cambridge.
After an internment at Mt. Auburn Cemetery, friends and family will attend a "memorial party to celebrate his life," Hellmiss-Peralta said.