Make your own destiny

Diego Reynoso, News Correspondent
Diego Reynoso, News Correspondent

By Diego Reynoso

diego@southerntorch.com

I know it has been a while since I last wrote to all of you. I apologize for that. I have been busy since the last column I wrote.

Let's start from the beginning. In March I had my last Pet scan to date. If you don't know I have them every 3 months. The report was good. Even though she did not exactly say I was in full remission, she did say all is good.

Unfortunately she wanted me to stay on the more aggressive chemo. I asked her why and she stated that since it is like a roller coaster ride with my cancer coming back shortly after putting it in remission that I need to stay on it. I don't know if I have mentioned but this treatment is hard on me. It is hard on my family also. So I asked her if I could take a break? I mean I am gonna have another PET scan in June so why not?

I just felt like needed a break. My body needed a break. I was getting worse also with my side effects. My feet and hands were terrible. The aggressive chemo dries out and cause very painful dry skin, skin that is dying and it cracks and bleeds. It is very painful.  Actually it was getting  worse than before. The oncologist said as long as I stay on the maintenance chemo, than I could take a break.

So here we are. Now, since I can move around more since wrapping up the aggressive chemo I talked with my wife, Angie, and decided to go back to college. I wanted to find a profession that would allow me to work from home if i needed to. So web development was my choice. I am good with computers anyways so seemed to be the right choice. I start this summer.

Now I know what you are asking. What if it comes back? Will you have to go back on aggressive chemo? Easy answer is...Yes. But it is not so simple. I can change days for treatment, so that will help the most. Going a different day to take treatments has been done before.

But I am gonna try and go a step further. I am gonna fight even harder than before. No one knows what tomorrow holds, and I don't want to sit back and wait for something to come to me. Not only is that unfair to me, but it’s also unfair to my family. If i can do something to help my family then that is a fight I will take on, no matter how difficult that fight is.

This is my advice to all of you going through something like me. Don’t sit back and wait on cancer or treatment to determine your destiny. Get out there and show the world what you can do! You have the power to make your destiny, not just change it—to forge your destiny for yourself.

My fight is cancer, but yours could be anything. So no matter who is reading this, fight! Don't let it win. Nothing and noone can beat you but yourself. I have faith that you can do it. Just take a deep breath look at your family and go for it.

Look at it this way. A friend of mine sent me a gift this past week. And one thing enclosed had a quote on it. It is perfect for this column: “A goal is a dream with a deadline.”

So, set your goal and work for it. No matter if it is a new job, or beating cancer make your goal a reality. I have to go for now, but I will be back. Maybe it won't take so long next time before I write again. Have a great day! And remember to reach that deadline. Shape your own destiny. It ultimately lies in your hands.