Speech During the Luminaria HOPE Ceremony at 9 Pm
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Speech during the Luminaria HOPE Ceremony at 9 pm 2010 Relay for Life at Murrieta April 24, 2010
TEAM BRONCO INTERACT VISTA MURRIETA HIGH SCHOOL
----- Forwarded Message ---- From: Brenden Lechuga
Speech By Brenden Lechuga, President of VMHS Interact Club and a Cancer Survivor
What is it like to be a cancer survivor? That's what I've been asked to share here tonight. I have contemplated how to do so and I'm not sure I know how to answer this question. I could not come up with a universal response that applied to every single cancer survivor. Our experiences range as do our cancers. I can only tell you what it's like to be me. I am an eighteen year old cancer survivor. I'm a high school student. I'm a son. I'm a brother. I'm a friend. I'm the president of a club. I have a job that I love. I'll be attending university in the fall. Like most teenagers, I don't get nearly enough sleep and I spend most of my money on things I don't need. I'm attending senior events and am excited beyond words for prom in a few weeks. However, unlike most teenagers, I've been hospitalized more times than I can count and have undergone major medical procedures. I've seen my parents' pain as they've stood by my side in hospital rooms. I've felt my own emotional distress overpower a horrible disease. I've battled cancer twice. I'm an eighteen year old cancer survivor. As we light the letter “O” we take time to reflect, rejoice and remember. We reflect with those patients and caregivers just entering the cancer journey and share with them the belief that a cure will be found. We rejoice with those who have survived and recognize that we must build upon their stories of hope. We also remember those we have lost and draw on those memories to bolster us as we continue the fight. I am Brenden Lechuga, an eighteen year old cancer survivor, and I believe in HOPE.