Paul Cescon: Cancer Survivor and Fundraiser Extraordinaire
 Photo: Rafal Andronowski |
Ever since Paul Cescon was diagnosed with Burkitt's Lymphoma at the age of eight, he has been determined to change adversity into something positive - and he has succeeded immeasurably.
Cescon, a native of Waterloo, Ont. and a first-year IDS student at Dal, is fortunate to have been afflicted with a cancer that's been in remission for 11 years. But that hasn't stopped him from supporting many charities dedicated to helping those who continue to fight the disease.
"Why did an eight-year-old get cancer? You're never going to find an answer to that," Cescon says.
When he was diagnosed, Cescon made sure he had a positive attitude. "I chose to make a decision and say, 'I'm going to get through this,'" he says.
In spring 1994, mere months after being diagnosed with cancer, Cescon participated in the Great Ride 'n' Stride to Beat Cancer, a 20-km bike-a-thon hosted by the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS). In 1997, he raised $5,500 for the Great Ride 'n' Stride and was invited to join their Board of Directors as a youth member. This position gave Cescon the opportunity to speak directly to elementary and high school students about the importance of fighting cancer, he says. Cescon continues to participate in the Great Ride 'n' Stride every year, raising $23,000 in pledges in 2004 from door-to-door visits and a recently developed website.
"I don't think I would be doing any of the stuff I'm doing if I hadn't been diagnosed with cancer," he says.
Cescon hopes to continue his involvement in the fight against cancer at Dal, and he urges students to get involved and volunteer. April is Cancer Awareness Month, and the CCS will be undertaking their annual daffodil and residential campaigns, where volunteers sell daffodils in their community and canvass door-to-door to raise funds for cancer research.
While death rates for those with cancer have been declining, tens of thousands of Canadians still suffer from the disease. The CCS's website, www.cancer.ca, lists no less than 25 different types of cancer, ranging from colorectal cancer to Hodgkin's disease. One of these types of cancer will affect one in three Canadians in their lifetimes.
But Cescon is optimistic about the future. "I think we have the ability to find a cure," he says-whether that means buying a daffodil, going door-to-door or just sporting a pink ribbon.