You may have heard the saying, “You would have a better chance of being struck by lightning twice!” Well that is exactly how I learned of my second cancer diagnosis. At the age of five I was diagnosed with Leukemia and had to undergo chemo therapy for four years. Ten years later on October 6, 2023 I was faced with the fact that cancer had yet again caught up with me in the form of Renal Cell Carcinoma. There are some things in life that you can only understand once you go through them. The diagnosis of cancer is one of those things. The feeling of complete helplessness you get when diagnosed is one that causes you to yearn to be anyone in the world except yourself. When you get the diagnosis, the world seems to stop, everything loses meaning, and your mind tries to think of anything else to distract from the reality you are forced to live. You prepare yourself for the battle no matter how long it may last. The fight against you and the disease has begun, and a new hope is found in treatment. The hope that comes with treatment begins to be the very anthem of your heart. Every beat has the force of ten men with the purpose to just stay alive. The torture your body endures while under treatment is a vicious cycle of solutions causing more problems by the minute. Just when an idea is put into place to cure one side effect of the treatment, another complication arises. The decision to undergo cancer treatment is a tumultuous one. It vowels to heal, yet its touch brings anguish and weariness to the soul. There was a time when standing up and walking was a privilege and getting a full night’s sleep was a rarity. You brace through every moment of every day waiting for a period in time where all the chaos ceases. Though the struggle takes everything you have, it gives hope that one day will come an end to this war raged against you and the disease. The full effect of cancer does not just relate to the current events of life; it also applies to the future ones as well. Many people will never understand the gravity of always wondering if cancer lurks on the other side of an MRI. The unknown monstrosities that may dwell from within call for a greater source of hope I can put my trust in. That is where my reliance on Jesus is pivotal. This steadfast belief gives me a reason worth living and hope that I can find order in the chaos. Knowing this, I now have access to peace that only comes from salvation and dependence on him. Still a great deal of frightful contemplations enter my mind as I ponder what obstacles may be ahead on the horizon. Even though tomorrow may be a mystery, I will be ready to face anything that the future may hold. The endurance I have gained in my battle with cancer has prepared me for any impediments that life may have. While this period of my life has caused a significant amount of pain in my life it has shaped me into the man I am today. I now have a new motivation to encourage others that no one can withdraw. While proven to be very laborious I still managed to encounter a light in the darkness. A fire ignited by hope, and fueled by ambition.

Kenneth Stanley You may have heard the saying, “You would have a better chance of being struck by lightning twice!” Well that is exactly how I learned of my second cancer diagnosis. At the age of five I was diagnosed with Leukemia and had to undergo chemo therapy for four years. Ten years later on October 6, 2023 I was faced with the fact that cancer had yet again caught up with me in the form of Renal Cell Carcinoma. There are some things in life that you can only understand once you go through them. The diagnosis of cancer is one of those things. The feeling of complete helplessness you get when diagnosed is one that causes you to yearn to be anyone in the world except yourself. When you get the diagnosis, the world seems to stop, everything loses meaning, and your mind tries to think of anything else to distract from the reality you are forced to live. The anticipatory anxiety sets in, and you begin to worry about your health that will come in future years. You prepare yourself for the battle no matter how long it may last. The fight against you and the disease has begun, and a new hope is found in treatment. The hope that comes with treatment begins to be the very anthem of your heart. Every beat has the force of ten men with the purpose to just stay alive. The torture your body endures while under treatment is a vicious cycle of solutions causing more problems by the minute. Just when an idea is put into place to cure one side effect of the treatment, another complication arises. The decision to undergo cancer treatment is a tumultuous one. It vowels to heal, yet its touch brings anguish and weariness to the soul. There was a time when standing up and walking was a privilege and getting a full night’s sleep was a rarity. On occasion a time would come when a single happy moment crept into the struggle, and every expression of joy was used in an instance to make the moment last. Motivation in itself finds a new meaning in becoming a visceral instinct of survival rather than a response of approval. You brace through every moment of every day waiting for a period in time where all the chaos ceases. Even if by chance rest is granted to you, it is not long before it is interrupted by the relentless pain inside. Though the struggle takes everything you have, it gives hope that one day will come an end to this war raged against you and the disease. The full effect of cancer does not just relate to the current events of life; it also applies to the future ones as well. Many people will never understand the gravity of always wondering if cancer lurks on the other side of an MRI. No matter how hard you fight, no matter the amount of resistance you put up, cancer always has a chance of making its way into unwanted territory. The unknown monstrosities that may dwell from within call for a greater source of hope I can put my trust in. That is where my reliance on Jesus is pivotal. This steadfast belief gives me a reason worth living and hope that I can find order in the chaos. Many times I have wondered where God was in this depressing time in my life, but the truth is he has been with me the entire time. Knowing this, I now have access to peace that only comes from salvation and dependence on him. God brings me peace by simply knowing he is in control whether I live or die. Still a great deal of frightful contemplations enter my mind as I ponder what obstacles may be ahead on the horizon. Even though tomorrow may be a mystery, I will be ready to face anything that the future may hold. The endurance I have gained in my battle with cancer has prepared me for any impediments that life may have. While this period of my life has caused a significant amount of pain in my life it has shaped me into the man I am today. I now have a new motivation to encourage others that no one can withdraw. While proven to be very laborious I still managed to encounter a light in the darkness. A fire ignited by hope, and fueled by ambition.

Kenneth Stanley You may have heard the saying, “You would have a better chance of being struck by lightning twice!” Well that is exactly how I learned of my second cancer diagnosis. At the age of five I was diagnosed with Leukemia and had to undergo chemo therapy for four years. Ten years later on October 6, 2023 I was faced with the fact that cancer had yet again caught up with me in the form of Renal Cell Carcinoma. There are some things in life that you can only understand once you go through them. The diagnosis of cancer is one of those things. The feeling of complete helplessness you get when diagnosed is one that causes you to yearn to be anyone in the world except yourself. When you get the diagnosis, the world seems to stop, everything loses meaning, and your mind tries to think of anything else to distract from the reality you are forced to live. The anticipatory anxiety sets in, and you begin to worry about your health that will come in future years. You prepare yourself for the battle no matter how long it may last. The fight against you and the disease has begun, and a new hope is found in treatment. The hope that comes with treatment begins to be the very anthem of your heart. Every beat has the force of ten men with the purpose to just stay alive. The torture your body endures while under treatment is a vicious cycle of solutions causing more problems by the minute. Just when an idea is put into place to cure one side effect of the treatment, another complication arises. The decision to undergo cancer treatment is a tumultuous one. It vowels to heal, yet its touch brings anguish and weariness to the soul. There was a time when standing up and walking was a privilege and getting a full night’s sleep was a rarity. Though the struggle takes everything you have, it gives hope that one day will come an end to this war raged against you and the disease. Cancer doesn’t just cause damage to your physical and mental health, but also to your income. During the time I had to undergo cancer treatment, I was unable to maintain enough stamina to keep a job. Due to not having a job, I now have been behind financially when it comes to saving for college. On top of being too unhealthy for a job, a lot of my existing savings were spent on hospitalizations and cancer treatment. Because I have much uncertainty about my future when it comes to battling cancer, I have to keep money that I do have saved up. In case something were to come up again. Hopefully that never happened, but needless to say that is the situation I am in. I am now in search of scholarships and grants that will help me in my pursuit of a future education. I am now doing something that is very hard for me to do, and that is putting my trust in good-hearted people with the hope that they will help me. If I have learned anything from my numerous battles with cancer, it is that you can’t always plan what happens to you. At the end of the day I understand that life is not fair. It is also understood that nothing can get back all the time and preparation I have lost due to my disease. So now all I can do is strive to work hard and do what it takes to achieve excellence.

You may have heard the saying, “You would have a better chance of being struck by lightning twice!” Well that is exactly how I learned of my second cancer diagnosis. At the age of five I was diagnosed with Leukemia and had to undergo chemo therapy for four years. Ten years later on October 6, 2023 I was faced with the fact that cancer had yet again caught up with me in the form of Renal Cell Carcinoma. There are some things in life that you can only understand once you go through them. The diagnosis of cancer is one of those things. The feeling of complete helplessness you get when diagnosed is one that causes you to yearn to be anyone in the world except yourself. When you get the diagnosis, the world seems to stop, everything loses meaning, and your mind tries to think of anything else to distract from the reality you are forced to live. The anticipatory anxiety sets in, and you begin to worry about your health that will come in future years. You prepare yourself for the battle no matter how long it may last. The fight against you and the disease has begun, and a new hope is found in treatment. The hope that comes with treatment begins to be the very anthem of your heart. Every beat has the force of ten men with the purpose to just stay alive. The torture your body endures while under treatment is a vicious cycle of solutions causing more problems by the minute. Just when an idea is put into place to cure one side effect of the treatment, another complication arises. The decision to undergo cancer treatment is a tumultuous one. It vowels to heal, yet its touch brings anguish and weariness to the soul. There was a time when standing up and walking was a privilege and getting a full night’s sleep was a rarity. On occasion a time would come when a single happy moment crept into the struggle, and every expression of joy was used in an instance to make the moment last. Motivation in itself finds a new meaning in becoming a visceral instinct of survival rather than a response of approval. You brace through every moment of every day waiting for a period in time where all the chaos ceases. Even if by chance rest is granted to you, it is not long before it is interrupted by the relentless pain inside. Though the struggle takes everything you have, it gives hope that one day will come an end to this war raged against you and the disease. The full effect of cancer does not just relate to the current events of life; it also applies to the future ones as well. Many people will never understand the gravity of always wondering if cancer lurks on the other side of an MRI. No matter how hard you fight, no matter the amount of resistance you put up, cancer always has a chance of making its way into unwanted territory. The unknown monstrosities that may dwell from within call for a greater source of hope I can put my trust in. That is where my reliance on Jesus is pivotal. This steadfast belief gives me a reason worth living and hope that I can find order in the chaos. Many times I have wondered where God was in this depressing time in my life, but the truth is he has been with me the entire time. Knowing this, I now have access to peace that only comes from salvation and dependence on him. God brings me peace by simply knowing he is in control whether I live or die. Still a great deal of frightful contemplations enter my mind as I ponder what obstacles may be ahead on the horizon. Even though tomorrow may be a mystery, I will be ready to face anything that the future may hold. The endurance I have gained in my battle with cancer has prepared me for any impediments that life may have. While this period of my life has caused a significant amount of pain in my life it has shaped me into the man I am today. I now have a new motivation to encourage others that no one can withdraw. While proven to be very laborious I still managed to encounter a light in the darkness. A fire ignited by hope, and fueled by ambition.