As the grads filed in, parents snapped photos, teachers beamed with pride, and Mitzi Cazares took it all in.
“I always knew I wanted to come back to school,” said Cazares.
She soaked up the final moments of her college experience, which was unlike that of most people in the arena.
I “transferred to San Diego State, August of 2022,” said Cazares. “Just being on campus reminded me that I was going to graduate, you know, that it was gonna be possible. And a few weeks after I started waking up really puffy.”
She kept going to work and class, despite the growing exhaustion. Finally, her mom said enough is enough.
“They did a CT scan, so they found a mass on my neck,” said Cazares. The diagnosis was cancer.
While Cazares was processing the news, she was more worried about how her family would take it. “What was it like having that support system right there next to you?” I asked.
“It was nice and it was comforting, but it was also really hard. I think when you're going through something like that, you're a lot more selfless. And you're more concerned about the people around you. My mom was really strong,” said Cazares. “She was like, we're gonna get it taken care of.”
Six rounds of chemo and almost a year went by.
“What was it like going through that and then seeing all your friends get to continue on with their college lives?” I asked.
“I think at first I was resentful… kind of having that feeling of missing out. But I quickly came to the realization that it wasn't that I was missing out, it was that this was like my season to rest and to recover,” said Cazares.
Soon, recovery and being back on campus went from a dream to a reality with the help of Courage through Cancer: a fund created by Tammy Blackburn, who knows the disease firsthand.
“I was in chemotherapy when this fund came about,” said Blackburn.
“That takes a lot of strength to do both,” I said.
“It does, but you know, when you have this illness, I guess the cliche, you make lemonade out of lemons,” said Blackburn.
And that lemonade is oh so sweet.
“The moment that they take those steps, and you hear the PA and their name. It's all worth it,” said Blackburn.
“Looking back, is there anything you would have changed?” I asked.
“No,” said Cazares. “I realize now that everything happens for a reason. I had to put my academic journey on hold for a year or so. It was for a lot of reasons. It also brought me closer to my family. I got to spend more time with my sister and with my mom.”
