I
was a senior in high school,
the running back on the
state champion Santa Fe
Demon Football team and
17 years of age. I still
remember the date—October
18, 1979—the day
my life changed forever.
On this date, I was diagnosed
as having a rare, malignant
sarcoma of the soft muscle,
only the 9th person
in the world to have been
diagnosed with this type
of Cancer.
I
recall doctors telling
me that they would do
everything they could
to save my life, but when
you are 17 years old dying
is not even a part of
your thought process.
My main concern was getting
back to the football field
and rejoining my teammates;
however, my doctors in
Santa Fe, NM at the UNM
Cancer Center and M.D.
Anderson Memorial Hospital
in Houston, told me that
I would never play football
again and suggested I
concentrate on fighting
for my life.
Fight
is what I did, through
17 months of chemotherapy
and 7 weeks of radiotherapy,
doctors told me that I
had an 80% chance of survival.
I smile at that remark
because surviving Cancer
is the only thing I did
during those 2 years of
my life. After that, it
was time to live again.
So I proved the doctors
wrong and went on to play
4 years of college football
for Southern Methodist
University (SMU) in Dallas
and for the University
of New Mexico in Albuquerque
(UNM).
And
I am still living life
to the fullest, as I was
fortunate to get a position
with CBS Television Network
in New York and later
in LA. I went on to become
Vice-President of sales
with AOL and Excite; today,
I am a Vice-President
with Univision Television
in Los Angeles. Looking
back on 29 years of being
cured, I certainly appreciate
my life and accomplishments:
football, career, family,
and most importantly,
being able to share my
story of hope.
With
your help, we can ensure
that the children of New
Mexico have the best care,
treatment, and a compassionate,
family-centered environment,
no matter what their socioeconomic
background is. No one
is turned away at the
University of New Mexico's
Children's Hospital.
God Bless,
Jeff |
