Miguel's journey to beating Cancer
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Hello all, this is the story of Miguel Bernal. We appreciate it in advance for taking the time out of your day to read this.
Just like any other young athlete, Miguel, at 23 years old was living a normal life. Working 2 part time jobs, being a full-time student at Cal State East bay, playing soccer on the weekends, and living life to the fullest, nothing seemed to be stopping him from reaching his goals. Since Spring of 2019, experiencing chronic pain in his back that doctors couldn't seem to find an answer for even after several visits to the ER, Miguel’s body started to act up and get in the way of his daily activities. Getting told to just take ibuprofen, anti-inflammatories or even athletic patches to numb his pain over the span of 6 months got tiring.
After finally insisting the right help and examination, his passion for soccer and getting closer to getting his bachelor’s degree was taken away from him on October 10th, 2019. Miguel got diagnosed with Stage 3 Testicular cancer (most advanced for this type) after doctors found a 13 cm tumor sitting right next to his spine on the lower back.
Doctors didn't know what the cause for this was, but immediately started the process of chemotherapy, all while Miguel was lost and scared for what he was about to face.
Miguel had to spend his birthday in the hospital, with bad news coming to him left and right, he started his Chemotherapy treatments in late October. Now, after completing 4 cycles or chemotherapy as of January, Miguel’s tumor was only able to shrink a couple of centimeters. This week, his oncologist announced that Miguel will undergo surgery to remove the tumor. With further examination, doctors are not sure if the surgery will be 100% effective in removing all of the cancer since there are also some spots that have spread around the spinal area, which means that his cancer is most likely to come back.
Miguel is the oldest of 5 siblings, both of his parents working hard to try and provide the best for all of them despite the expenses of this situation. Because his treatment made his body very weak, his nutrition is something that had to be taken care of very careful. As you can imagine, this new lifestyle has been hard to adjust to and is expensive. The amount of pain and confusion that Miguel and his family have been going through does not compare to anything they had ever been through. Preparing for this surgery both physically and mentally has been tough for Miguel, with the fear of not being able to be himself post the surgery. The changes that his body has made haunt him every day, but his progress is better than what the doctors expected.
We are now reaching out to the community, friends and loved ones. Anything will help Miguel overcome this situation. This is someone who had an impact in a lot of people's lives, good or bad, someone who always made sure that is friends and loved ones were set. The road to recovery will be long, frustrating, and frightening; Miguel is ready, keeping a positive attitude and appreciating every second of his life.
Thank you, much love, and God bless you all.
Just like any other young athlete, Miguel, at 23 years old was living a normal life. Working 2 part time jobs, being a full-time student at Cal State East bay, playing soccer on the weekends, and living life to the fullest, nothing seemed to be stopping him from reaching his goals. Since Spring of 2019, experiencing chronic pain in his back that doctors couldn't seem to find an answer for even after several visits to the ER, Miguel’s body started to act up and get in the way of his daily activities. Getting told to just take ibuprofen, anti-inflammatories or even athletic patches to numb his pain over the span of 6 months got tiring.
After finally insisting the right help and examination, his passion for soccer and getting closer to getting his bachelor’s degree was taken away from him on October 10th, 2019. Miguel got diagnosed with Stage 3 Testicular cancer (most advanced for this type) after doctors found a 13 cm tumor sitting right next to his spine on the lower back.
Doctors didn't know what the cause for this was, but immediately started the process of chemotherapy, all while Miguel was lost and scared for what he was about to face.
Miguel had to spend his birthday in the hospital, with bad news coming to him left and right, he started his Chemotherapy treatments in late October. Now, after completing 4 cycles or chemotherapy as of January, Miguel’s tumor was only able to shrink a couple of centimeters. This week, his oncologist announced that Miguel will undergo surgery to remove the tumor. With further examination, doctors are not sure if the surgery will be 100% effective in removing all of the cancer since there are also some spots that have spread around the spinal area, which means that his cancer is most likely to come back.
Miguel is the oldest of 5 siblings, both of his parents working hard to try and provide the best for all of them despite the expenses of this situation. Because his treatment made his body very weak, his nutrition is something that had to be taken care of very careful. As you can imagine, this new lifestyle has been hard to adjust to and is expensive. The amount of pain and confusion that Miguel and his family have been going through does not compare to anything they had ever been through. Preparing for this surgery both physically and mentally has been tough for Miguel, with the fear of not being able to be himself post the surgery. The changes that his body has made haunt him every day, but his progress is better than what the doctors expected.
We are now reaching out to the community, friends and loved ones. Anything will help Miguel overcome this situation. This is someone who had an impact in a lot of people's lives, good or bad, someone who always made sure that is friends and loved ones were set. The road to recovery will be long, frustrating, and frightening; Miguel is ready, keeping a positive attitude and appreciating every second of his life.
Thank you, much love, and God bless you all.
Organizer and beneficiary
Estefania Baeza-Jimenez
Organizer
Richmond, CA
Miguel Bernal
Beneficiary