Making Cancer History

“Making Cancer History” is a phrase that ties in with most of my childhood struggles. When I was six years old, my dad found out that he had a late stage of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, or as I knew it at the time, a lump in his neck. He immediately started treatment at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. At the time, I was the third child of four in my family, but my youngest sibling, Samuel, was about to be born. My parents were also about to buy land to build a new house for our growing family.

My life immediately changed.

There was much confusion and scare throughout my family and church. My dad was added to the “Prayer’s of the People” list, and I heard his name, Phillip, every Sunday. My dad was in the hospital all the time, and I barely got to see him. I remember that my siblings and I would spend days and sometimes weeks at homes of family friends while my mom spent time with my dad in the hospital. I liked the time at friends’ houses, because they treated us very well and gave us lots of food and toys.

One time my dad came back home after what seemed like a month of his absence. I remember us running to the door crying out “Daddy’s home!” and feeling ecstatic as he hugged us all and asked us to sign his bald head with colored sharpies. But those times at home scared me. I remember that he was in pain and threw up all the time. His treatment went on for about two years, coming close to death multiple times.

My dad is now cancer-free, but the effects of his cancer have affected me and my family in ways most people cannot imagine. I knew from a very early age that I would have to pay my entire college tuition by myself, and so I started working and saving money since I was eleven years old. My family still struggles constantly because of the after-effects. But that’s the downside of the effects. The positive effects, in my opinion, largely outweigh the huge struggles that we face every day.

My dad is alive - thank the Lord! We were raised in the church, and consequently, we have a strong Christian faith. Our church supported us throughout my dad’s sickness.

In my family, we depend on each other. There was always a scare that my dad was going to die, so my family became very close. My siblings and I saw my dad’s persistence to live. The doctors told him he was a rare case and should have died. But he didn’t, because he had something to live for – God and his family.

We know that happiness and success does not come from money. We live without luxuries and don’t take for granted many American privileges. My peers have many worldly complaints, but I try to focus on the blessings God has given me.

"Making Cancer History" changed my life.