Salvador Quiros

IM STILL HERE. This battle with cancer started about a year ago, my world cracked open, I was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer. Just like that, everything changed, treatment, chemo, scans, fear. But the hardest part wasn’t just the cancer. It was losing my wife Ellie, while I was in the middle of fighting for my life. She was my heart. My calm, my reason and then she was gone. Grief doesn’t wait for you to get better it just shows up and sits next to you. In every hospital room, every sleepless night, every empty chair at the table . Now it’s just me and my son Baba. He’s 16. My rock my pride. He plays bass and guitar in à punk rock band. Loud, raw, real that’s his world. He lives for the stage, for the music, for creating something that says what he can’t always say out loud. Watching him chase his dreams is what keeps me chasing mine. Raising a teenage son alone while going through chemo is a challenge most people can’t imagine. Doctors appointments. School, band practice, groceries, bills, laundry. All while trying to put food down and the strength up. Some days I win some days I just survive. I’m fighting my own battle, outside feels like it’s loosing its mind. Wars rage. Politics divide à country split in half , protesters, Anger in the streets. People shouting, pointing fingers, trusting no one. It’s exhausting it’s heavy but I can’t let their chaos steal what little peace I have left. I focus on what I can control. My health, my son, my work and showing up every damn day. Chemo has changed me it’s burned me down and built me up.nsusea, fatigue, pain good days, bad days scary days. Surgeries, setbacks. And Hope. I’ve learnt to celebrate the small victories, à clean scan, à good meal, à song that makes me smile, à night with baba laughing too loud in the living room . I’m a chef, I cook because that’s who I am it’s my therapy my outlet. It’s how I take care of the people l love. Even in the hardest moments I keep showing up, and I will continue to show up. This is a little bit of what has happened to me in the journey of a full year. Life has been messy, real, and god is still writing my story. I don’t know what the future holds but I do know that I’m still here , fighting, loving, cooking, being a dad, and surviving. This is how I survive cancer by always having hope and trusting god. IM STILL HERE