Let me tell you about my journey through cancer. The day I got diagnosed, 6/28/22, I woke up to see my pillowcase covered in blood. Quite a start to the morning. However, it didn’t bother me much. I was 16 years old, and as most 16-year-olds are, functionally invincible. I went about my morning routine, showered, ate breakfast, and drove to pick up my best friend for our scheduled workout. As I worked out, I could tell something was wrong. I was doing a relatively easy workout, but I just couldn’t finish it. Frustrated, I wiped the sweat off my face. Only then did I realize it was more blood. Even at this point I was convinced nothing was wrong. I called my mom, then the advice nurse, and we eventually ended up in the ER. Later that night, I was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. What was supposed to be a short trip to the ER quickly turned into a three-year treatment process.

I’ve always been a roll with the punches kind of guy. I like to smile and joke, no matter what the situation may be. I remember promising myself that I could do it. I could make it through treatment. Part of this promise was that I would take a selfie every day. The way I saw it, each picture represented a day won: a step towards health. However, due to one of the medications I was taking, I started retaining water in my face. The difference was unreal. I could hardly recognize myself. It hurt to see my own face. 

This led to a tough couple of weeks for me: beginning the most intensive chemotherapy yet (high dose Methotrexate) while still struggling with face swelling and self-image. This was by far the hardest part of treatment, but a few things helped me get through it. 

Here I’d like to take a second to acknowledge these people. 

Firstly, my best friend Alec. Before my cancer, we played together on our high school soccer team. We both played defense and quickly bonded over jokes and witty remarks. As the season ended, we began to hang out and became close friends. We’ve done all kinds of things together. Coached soccer camps, volunteered to face paint at my brother’s elementary school, and flew across the country to play in a soccer tournament. No matter what, Alec was there. Three, even four times a week, he would visit me in the hospital. Most importantly, he treated me the same as he always had. It didn’t matter that I had cancer or a round face. I’m so grateful to have Alec in my life. My mom calls him her “adopted son”, and I think that speaks to the love that my family has for him. 

Secondly, my parents. I can’t express how critical their presence was on my recovery. Every night in the hospital, one of them would sleep on the pullout couch so that I wouldn’t be alone. I can tell you from experience that the couch isn’t the least bit comfortable, but they did it for me. After a hard day of treatment, I looked forward to the night because it meant family TV time. With my mom, we watched the entirety of Narcos and Narcos: Mexico as well as a majority of the Gordan Ramsey cooking shows. With my dad, we delved into a very niche category of kinda violent kinda poorly written movie series like Fast & Furious, John Wick, and my personal favorite Gangs of London. The nights spent together are some of my favorite memories and made the whole process a lot happier. 

Now onto my brother Zack. For those of you who don’t know him, he is the personification of energy. For a time, he played on two soccer teams, and a baseball team, and played in pick-up soccer games in his free time. He loves to play chess, he loves sports (obviously), he loves our dog Milo, and he loves me. When I first got sick, I asked my parents not to tell him yet. I wanted him to see me when I was strong, not when I was broken like this. When my parents told him the news, he asked when he could come see me. The hospital’s rule was that he had to wait two weeks before visiting and that two-week mark was in four days. He did the math in his head and realized that we had waited 10 days without telling him. He called me on the phone, chewed me out a little for not telling him sooner, and excitedly told me he could visit soon. I remember hearing him running down the hall while my mom called after him to be careful. As he burst into the room, I smiled for the first time in days. 

Countless other people have helped me along the way, but I couldn’t have done it without the support of these four. My advice to others facing cancer is to identify who these people are in your life and hold them close. 

This year, I’m proud to be a part of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Student Visionaries of the Year Campaign, working to raise as much as possible for LLS’s mission.

As a global leader in the fight against blood cancer, LLS:

• Funds cutting-edge research leading to breakthroughs in immunotherapy, genomics and personalized medicine that are improving and saving the lives of patients

• Provides free education and support for blood cancer patients and families, including personalized, one-on-one support, assistance with identifying and enrolling in clinical trials, and more.

• Mobilizes thousands of advocates to drive policy changes that accelerate the development of new cancer treatments and break down barriers to care.

Please consider joining this fight by making a donation. All donations are greatly appreciated and tax-deductible. Please visit my website often and tell friends who would also like to donate!

Thanks to your support, my efforts will help ensure this generation is the last to see cancer.

On behalf of blood cancer patients everywhere, thank you!

For more information about LLS, please visit www.lls.org.