Thousands of North Texas high school students will put on their caps and gowns for graduation to take on the world, but for one Woodrow Wilson High School graduate, he has already won the fight of his life.
When he was 15, Joshua Suarez was diagnosed with stage-four testicular cancer which spread to his lungs. He lost his entire sophomore year to treatment and surgery.
"Since I would be having chemo, coming back to school was not an option," Joshua said. "It’s not about who’s strong or who’s not. It’s cancer and chemo."
Joshua had to be homeschooled, but even that hit a snag.
"There was no one certified to teach me my AP bio class," he said.
That setback didn’t stop him. He, in essence, taught himself from home.
"It was a struggle, but I had to do it on days that I felt good and on days that I didn’t," Joshua said. "I’m really proud of myself that I was able to take that challenge and pass with a B plus."
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It’s never-give-up spirit that saw him through his darkest days.
"There were some days I couldn’t walk," he said.
But in his heart, he imagined a time when he would walk across the graduation stage in remission – something he did this past weekend.
"This aftermath from a tornado and turn it into this beautiful house… that’s how I see it," Joshua said.
He will attend college in Michigan, studying Biology.
