Personal Narrative

Every person at some time in his life has a moment he will never forget; a moment which forever would change his life. Maybe it was as subtle as finding a new way to tie a necktie or as extreme as watching a loved one die. Either way, lives can be changed instantaneously, and after that one moment in time, life as you use to know it, will never be the same.

Sometimes I get asked, “How you can remain so brave?” or “How do you put your body through that, then come back again for more a day later?” or “How can you stare death in the face?” February 9, 2005 was the start of these questions. Coincidently, it was the same day my life was changed forever. I walked into the doctor’s office with chest pains. After a few chest X-rays and some blood tests, I was shocked with the news that I have cancer.

Let me back up a second. The day before this, I was you average 17-year-old, high school student. I maintained a 4.0 GPA, was active in the Honor Society, remained at a job for two years, and was one of the happiest, most care-free people in the block. Life was good, high school was great, and my life was turning our the exact way I wanted it to. Of course, this all had to change.

I was diagnosed with Hodgkins, a form of lymphoma cancer. At that time it was in stage two, and I had two 10x4 cm tumors around my heart and lungs, not to mention parts in my armpits, neck, and under my jaw. No longer was I Mr. Care-free, but Mr. Fearful. Over the next seven months, I became very well-known with the hospital and all the drama that lay ahead.

My type of cancer couldn’t be surgically removed from my body because I needed the lymph nodes the cancer grew on to fight of bacteria. Therefore, I had to kill it by essentially pumping poison into my blood-stream, or as some of you call it, chemotherapy. I quickly became best friends with this poison. I was on it nearly every weekend for the next four months. not only did it make me sick enough that I had to remain hospitalized for three days while receiving it, but I also became as fashionable as a hairless Olympic swimmer.

After chemo and four surgeries, came radiation, which became my second best friend. Daily visits to an office an hour away for a 15 minute session became tiresome very quickly. After my 20th time however, I was done with radiation and everything for that matter! My cancer was gone and I was back to my normal self. Is it safe to say I was back to normal though?

During my eight month battle with cancer, everything I had been doing prior was put on hold. I didn’t go to work, go to school, or hang out with friends. Needless to say, I had some making up to do. After missing the last 5 to 6 months of school, I had accumulated a pretty sizable amount of homework and tests. Work was put on hold and friends were too for the most part. The district gave me a tutor to try and teach me what I had missed, but she ended up being more clueless than I. So I proceeded to teach myself everything I had missed over those last five months, in about a month. This became especially difficult with classes such as Pre-Calculus and US History AP (Advanced Placement). I tried my best, and completed everything, but I was no longer the 4.0 GPA student that I used to be.

Some wondered how I remained positive with so many negatives that happened in such a short time in my life. This experience has led to many great positives however. I have gone through more in eight months than most people do their whole lives. I’ve learned how to handle myself in any given situation, and also gained some different ideals and beliefs on life.

I learned life can’t be taken for granted. You have to make the most out of it at every opportunity to the best of your ability. Death can sneak up on you at any moment, and you have to be prepared and have lived a fulfilling life before it does. Also, I learned how to be strong. After having a needle in my arm or chest for the 100th time, I noticed pain only lasts a second. This applies to many life situations. Many times the hardest part is the first step, then after that it’s smooth sailing. I learned to keep my head up, take the first step with pride, and continue on.

I came out of this experience a completely different person than when I went in. You just have to make the best of every life-changing experience no matter if it’s good or bad. Every experience has a lesson to learn from it, and one has to be certain they take heed and find that lesson. You may not be able to control when or what your life-changing experience is, but with the right attitude, you can change the way it ends.

Kevin Fuchs
Sept. 21, 2005