On Aug. 4th, I received some heart-breaking news about a friend that I haven’t talked to or seen in years. I found out she now has cancer. When I first heard the news, I couldn’t believe it. I received the message the same day she found out she has cancer.
I never been afraid to talk about what I’ve been through as a two-time cancer survivor because it is something I must deal with on an everyday basis, and one of my goals is to help others who have been through similar situations.
I haven’t spoken to her yet, but I did speak to her sister who relayed the message to me. I told her sister that she could contact me anytime. I remember the first time I was diagnosed with knee cancer called Osteosarcoma at 14 years old, and it was a scary experience because all I knew about cancer at the time was that it is a disease that kills people.
Even though chemotherapy is used to kill the cancer cells within the human body, it also damages the human body with unpleasant side effects such as nausea, vomiting, hair loss, fatigue, mouth sores, weight loss and constipation.
Of course, everybody will react to chemotherapy differently, but the worst side effects I experienced were mouth sores and constipation while I was doing chemotherapy treatment.
The whole process of being diagnosed with cancer can also be very discouraging in the beginning because there are many doctors telling you what extreme measures must be taken to move forward, you must take many MRI’s, x-rays, blood tests, imaging scans and most importantly, chemotherapy treatment.
I haven’t spoken or seen my friend in some years, but as a cancer patient, true strength will be present for all people to see. I know she already has a strong support system from family and friends. I also believe her faith in God will pull her through this difficult ordeal just like how God has given me unbelievable strength and blessed me more than a couple times by breathing fresh air into my lungs.
Since 2015, I’ve been posting blogs and constantly updating my website with new content consistently. For instance, I’ve been detailing my journey of being an inspirational speaker and author by talking about my experiences and realities of being a two-time cancer survivor and hip amputee.
I believe if God didn’t think I could handle certain situations or circumstances, he wouldn’t have forced me to go through the overly difficult ordeal of having cancer twice.
My story of having knee cancer two-times during my four years of high school, having a knee replacement, having lung cancer, getting my right leg amputated and being forced to become a hip amputee may be dramatic to most people, but it’s my reality that I must deal with on an everyday basis.
I hope my friend reads this blog, because it’s no secret that being diagnosed with cancer is a difficult situation for anybody to deal with, and from my experience, it also effects a person mentally, spiritually and physically.
When I first heard the terrible news about my friend, I was heart-broken, but I just want her to know that I’m here for her when she wants to talk because I’m more than happy to tell her about my experiences and realities of being a two-time cancer survivor.
To check out my experience with cancer, and how the inFAMOUS videogame franchise helped me overcome my many insecurities when I became a hip amputee, click here: http://calmandstrong.net/about-darryl-2
To check out photos about my experience with cancer when I was 14 and 17 years old and much more, click here: http://www.calmandstrong.net/photos
To check out the first three chapters of my book, “CalmandStrong: Some People Walk in Each Other’s Shoes, I Carry Mine,” click here: http://www.calmandstrong.net/calmandstrong-book
* On Aug. 7th, I volunteered at Loma Linda Children’s Hospital and I wanted to donate a DVD of Charles M. Shultz’s Peanuts cartoon entitled, “Why Charlie Brown, Why.” The episode is about Linus’ friend Janice, and she finds out she has cancer called Leukemia. I remember seeing this episode when I was five years old when it was released on tv in 1990. One day, I thought about this specific episode, not knowing how serious it was at the time it was released and how close to home it is for me and other current and former children and teenager cancer patients.
* Turns out the hospital already has this episode in a couple of languages. I initially bought the DVD for myself, but at the last minute decided to donate it. Since the hospital already has a copy, I’m going to keep it for myself.
* To check out a clip from “Why Charlie Brown, Why,” on YouTube, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=el60zRU0-ao
Disclaimer…
I don’t own any content from the episode “Why Charlie Brown, Why.”
No Copyright Intended. All content is copyright to their respective owners. All rights go to Charles M. Shultz and CBS.
Shultz, M., C. “Why Charlie Brown, Why.” CBS, 1990. DVD.
“Why Charlie Brown, Why” YouTube clip courtesy of Melissa Stewart from Youtube.com.
YouTube. YouTube, 03 Jan. 2012. Web. 09 Aug. 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=el60zRU0-ao
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