“We were told she had Stage 4 small cell lung cancer – she could die within a week or live until she was 90.”
About four years ago, Jacob Chahal, a Howard High School Sophomore, heard the frightening words that his grandmother, Pat, had been diagnosed with cancer. After raising three of her own children, Pat has been raising Jacob and his older brothers for the past twenty years. “She’s very upbeat and really nice,” said Jacob. “She always has the best day when she can make people laugh and smile or help them. We watch TV together and she’ll tell stories. She also teaches me how to cook and I really enjoy that.”
Jacob can easily recall the day he found out his grandmother had been diagnosed with cancer. “We came home from school and my grandpa was there; he told us that grandma was in the hospital with a collapsed lung. Later, my aunt (her daughter) came home and told us that she had Stage 4 small cell lung cancer. I was scared… she’s the only parent I have.”
As his grandmother began radiation, Jacob’s aunt came to stay with them. “She [his grandmother] was very weak from the treatment and her hair fell out. We had to get more independent and would help her around the house.”
Pat went on to overcome her first bout with cancer, until this past summer, when it struck again in the form of a brain tumor. “We were in Texas with our aunt and we came back to her in the driveway telling us she was diagnosed with brain tumors.” This time around, Pat went back for more radiation to specific regions in her brain and she also spent a month in the nursing home. Recently, she was declared cancer-free again. “Doctors call her their ‘miracle baby’,” said Jacob. “She’s a very strong person. The second time with cancer she was confident she’d get through it. She was always positive and would tell someone with cancer to never give up hope.”
As the Howard High School students join together to raise money and awareness through “Tigers Step Up 2 Cancer”, Jacob is just one of the many students who has experienced the wrath of cancer first hand and understands the importance of coming together as a community to support those fighting this disease. A true survivor, Jacob’s grandmother has stood up to cancer and will continue to make an influence on her grandson’s life, which is why he has chosen to step up and share his story. “We don’t have anyone else. She gave up her dreams to raise us kids,” said Jacob. “She always tells us we are the greatest gift God’s ever given her.”