Imagine being diagnosed with cancer as teenager after your mother has been let go from her job? That’s what happened to Denale Hayes, 17, from Pensacola, Florida. Denale was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in February, 2017. His mother had just lost her job and now she had to deal with her son’s cancer diagnosis. Denale’s entire family was distraught. His life changed drastically. Denale missed a lot of days of school due to countless therapy and doctor appointments. As a result, he felt secluded from those around him which led to feelings of loneliness. Denale’s daily life was completely different. He had to be more cautious about the things he did and how he did them.
Through it all, Denale persevered. He graduated from high school with a 3.5 GPA and academic honors. He also was a coordinator for the school’s Halloween Festival. Denale takes great pride in his academic achievements because they reflect how determined and relentless he was to exceed in his studies and to stay afloat academically while battling cancer and it’s physical and mental effects.
As he looks toward the future, Denale hopes to graduate from college with a degree in computer science. He currently is a freshman at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia.
Denale wants other pediatric cancer patients to know that they are not alone even though they may feel lonely at times during their cancer battle. “There are many people who have gone through what you have, maybe not in the exact way you are currently going through it because that’s what makes us unique but similar,” Denale says to cancer patients. He adds, “When people say, ‘I understand what you’re going through’, they can truly mean it.”
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