1 Year Cancer Free!

I’ve learned so much over the past 2 years battling with this illness that I still have to decipher. But at this moment I wanted to share 3 things I’ve observed this past year.

Sometimes rejection can be a blessing in disguise.

When I was applying to law school, my number one choice was Yale Law School. It was my dream school for a few reasons, my sister had enjoyed her undergraduate experience there, it was close to home, and its alumni appeared to be the kind of individuals whose career paths I could follow. However, Yale just didn't quite work out. In hindsight, however, Harvard Law was the best decision I could have made.

The first year at Harvard Law was remote due to the COVID pandemic - however, because of the small class size, Yale Law was in-person. Had I gone to Yale, I probably would have never had the chance to become the president of the Jersey City Board of Education, a role in which I had a massive impact during a crisis in Jersey City and I probably would have also had to drop out of law school once I was diagnosed with cancer. For many of my classmates, having the first year of law school was frustrating, for me, it was a lifesaver - literally.

At the time of my rejection, I felt like so much of my work wasn't being recognized, and felt like a failure. But it was truly a blessing in disguise.

Seeking employment for the summer after my first year of law school, I applied to several organizations during the fall. With each rejection, I was less and less sure of my employment prospects. Lo and behold, just days after being admitted to MSK Cancer Center, their organization came to my campus to conduct on-campus interviews. That summer I was able to help the same organization that was helping thousands of patients just like myself. All those rejections, in the end, were a blessing in disguise.

At the moment, it's easy to see a rejection as the end of the world or at least a major step backward. However, I've started to appreciate rejections as a sign of what wasn't meant to be.

Health is wealth.

I think many of us take our health for granted. There is a saying that a healthy man has 100 wishes but a sick man only has 1. Individuals in my age group in particular are the least likely to have health insurance. The only reason I could receive the world-class healthcare I did was that the Affordable Care Act allowed young adults to stay on their parent's healthcare plan until age 26. If it weren't for the ACA, it is unlikely I would've sought insurance.

Before being diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer I was someone who was both remarkably healthy and remarkably lucky. I had never been checked into the hospital, was rarely ever sick, and seldom got so much as a headache. I didn't drink or smoke and didn't have a family history of cancer. The disease came out of nowhere and turned my world upside down. My symptoms first appeared months before I was officially diagnosed, and it was because of my indestructible attitude that I delayed seeing the doctor. If you feel like something in your body is wrong - go to see your doctor. Had I been more proactive during this endeavor, I could've saved myself 2 months' worth of chemotherapy.

The impact of cancer is long-lasting. There are certain careers I can't pursue because of inadequate healthcare coverage. Aside from yearly scans and check-ups, I'm now at higher risk for cancer in the future and know that being without proper coverage could lead me down a path to bankruptcy. Speaking with other cancer patients has only reemphasized the need for America to pursue a universal healthcare system.

Always give people the benefit of the doubt and be kind.

When I was first diagnosed with cancer, I did not want to make my battle public. As a young person, I had built up my professional career as someone who was routinely seen as reliable and without much personal baggage. I worked hard to improve myself as an individual and never showed any weakness publicly. In fact, during my initial conversations with my doctor, I inquired about the possibility of wearing a wig or drawing on my eyebrows to avoid revealing the battle I was undergoing. Ultimately, I decided to share my secret with the world because through conversations with my friends and trusted advisors I realized it was the right thing to do. That said, there was more than a month during which very few people knew what was going on in my life. During that month, I was not able to operate at my typical, "100%". There were those who were kind and helped me in my time of need without asking any questions. Then there were those who took it as an opportunity to criticize my every decision. Don't be the latter.

Every individual is fighting a battle, some are public, and most are not. We only see what others allow us to see. In today's society of photoshop and influencers, people are only encouraged to post victories. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that no one is happy all the time. In my day-to-day life, I try to give others excuses and try to be as generous and kind as possible. Because you never know what someone is going through.