Teen Beats Stage 4 Cancer To Graduate High School: 'I Just Knew God Was with Me'
A cancer diagnosis is devastating for anyone. It always comes unexpected, unwelcome, and all too often incurable.
For now-high school senior Joshua Suarez, hearing he had stage 4 testicular cancer at the age of 15 was the last thing he ever anticipated.
When he was just 15, Joshua Suarez found out he had stage 4 testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs. After over a year of treatment, all while keeping up with his school work, he is now cancer-free and is getting ready to graduate from high school.https://t.co/uk46G6rCAD
— WSVN 7 News (@wsvn) May 20, 2019
“My heart sunk to the bottom of my chest when I heard the word ‘cancer,'” Suarez told Dallas Independent School District News. “I didn’t know what to think, what to feel, or what to do. It was really heartbreaking to hear, and all I could ask was ‘why me?'”
The young man knew cancer ran in his family. His mom, grandma and aunt had all faced different diagnoses at some point, according to Dallas ISD News.
Dallas high school senior Joshua Suarez was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer at 15, but still managed to graduate on time with his classmates. https://t.co/5Ea39xzjNr
— KTRH News (@ktrhnews) May 21, 2019
Still, Suarez never expected his own diagnosis would come so early. “I was like that’s a death sentence,” he told KDFW. “I really thought this is it. This is the end for me.”
Despite the devastating news that the cancer had spread to his lungs, Suarez was determined to fight and even made a goal for himself to finish high school on schedule.
Surgery and round after round of chemotherapy took a toll on his body, but Suarez persevered through it all while his family surrounded him with love and support.
A message from his brother really impacted Suarez and motivated him to have faith that he would come out the other side.
“God gives his hardest obstacles to his strongest soldiers,” Suarez told KDFW, recalling the text from his brother.
“And as soon as I got that text, I just knew God was with me,” he continued. “Whatever God has planned for me I accept. If it’s to fight, I’m fighting until the end. But if it’s not, I’m ready to go.”
In the end, Suarez came out strong and even graduated with his class at Woodrow Wilson High School in Dallas on May 25, 2019.
“To say that I’ve beaten cancer is to say what can I not beat?” he said. “Going across that stage is more proof I’ve made it.”
“So incredibly proud of my nephew Joshua Suarez,” his aunt, Laura Suarez, wrote on Facebook. “Cancer was tough but he was tougher!”
What do you think of this amazing miracle and young man with such a strong faith?
Suarez told KDFW he plans to pursue a medical degree and become an oncologist so he can help others who face this disease.
“I now have a crazy amount of optimism that’s going to set me so far ahead in life,” he told Dallas ISD News. “I didn’t know what to do with my life before, but now I see my purpose — to serve others. I’ve gotten my second chance in life, and I want to help others have their chance, too.”
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