Getting Back to School

My name is Jovan Baker and I am 19 years old. I was diagnosed with testicular cancer at the age of 15 on December 5, 1999. I have been off treatment now for five years.

As part of my treatment, I received two surgeries. One was to remove the tumor that was in the right testicle, and the other one was to remove the rest of the cancer cells that were there and around the stomach. What made it hard was always being sick. I would get sick off of the little things.

The smell of the hospital food and the taste of the water made me sick. Pokes with needles 6 to 8 times a day and having to take medicine to settle my stomach made me sick. Everyday I was in the hospital, I thought that it was crazy. One thing that was hard for me was missing school.

I thought that since I wasn’t in school, I was going to miss out on things, friends and a social life. I realize that I had to grow up faster than other people and my friends. It was weird to see my friends have fun while I couldn’t do a thing. Once off treatment, I was able to go back to school.

If I thought that missing school was hard, going back was even harder. I hoped to be able to pick up things just as I had left them, but it wasn’t possible. Times change and so do people. It felt like I was starting all over again. Starting over wasn’t bad, just hard. Some people act like you’re not the same person any more. Going back to school was the time when I found out who my real friends were.

For me, cancer was not a curse but a blessing. It made me a better person with great character traits. My friends and family were always there for me. Without them, I don’t think that I would have made it. I can not thank them enough for what they did for me.