Despite cancer, it’s 8 and away
A MATRIC learner from Joburg’s Saheti School has proved that anything is possible after he obtained eight distinctions despite being diagnosed with cancer during his preliminary exams in September.
Antonio Aristides’s whole life changed during the most stressful year of high school when he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma at the beginning of the preliminary exams and started chemotherapy immediately.
Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a cancer of lymph tissue found in the lymph nodes, spleen, liver, bone marrow, and other sites.
The 18-year-old told The Star that from the moment he found out about his illness, he made it a personal goal that he would finish his matric year and get distinctions in all nine of his subjects.
His hard work paid off as he obtained eight distinctions in Afrikaans, business studies, English, information technology, life orientation, mathematics, modern Greek and physical sciences.
“It showed me how strong the mind can be because with chemotherapy your body is going to take strain regardless of the situation but the only thing you have is your head and your mind,” said the star pupil.
Antonio added that after his diagnosis he had to make many changes to his life, including not being able to play soccer. The student used to play for soccer academies.
“I was frustrated because I used to play sports five days a week for three hours a day… however, there is nothing stopping me from doing so this year,” he said.
Antonio said he was hoping to attend the University of the Witwatersrand this year to study either aeronautical, mechatronic or mechanical engineering.
“My original plan was to study at the University of Cape Town because it is the only university in South Africa that offers mechatronic engineering, but my diagnosis makes it difficult if my family is here in Joburg and I’m in Cape Town.
“I can’t go up and down for treatments,” he said.
Despite his own struggle to maintain his health and the stress of his final year in high school, Antonio said there were still important life lessons that his medical condition taught him last year.
“It gave me a different perspective on life: how important your health is over anything else and it also showed me the support that one can get from a community and people around you,” he said.