New beginning for cancer survivor

SIXTEEN years ago the Jamaica Observer shared the story of a then 16-year-old Mario Spencer, who had been diagnosed with osteosarcoma — a form of bone cancer — in his foot and was desperately seeking support to undergo a life-changing surgery. Today, cancer-free, married, and thriving as a digital marketer, he is fulfilling a promise made to God by publishing a debut memoir.

Spencer said the memoir — A New Beginning: A Journey Through Cancer, Faith and Resilience — chronicles his journey from one of the darkest periods of his life to a renewed sense of purpose, with each chapter reflecting the faith that carried him through his battle with cancer. He said every page tells the story of how God showed up for him and performed miracles that even stunned medical practitioners, leading him to a new beginning when he thought he was at the end of the road.

The 33-year-old, in an update on his condition, shared that he was declared cancer-free in 2011. He said he did chemotherapy for one year and his tumour miraculously shrunk to the point that it could be removed. He then underwent surgery to replace half of his shin bone. Though cancer-free after the successful surgery, he said he was told by doctors that his type of cancer was known to return after two years, but it never did.

Free from hospital beds, Spencer said he decided to pick up where he’d left off. He re-enlisted in school and completed his Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations before transitioning to Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, where he studied jazz and pop with a focus on classical voice. He then went to The University of the West Indies where he pursued a degree in entertainment management and marketing.

As he looks back on his journey, Spencer recalled that there were many daunting moments within the walls of the hospital, but he smiled through them all, leaning heavily on his faith, family members, and friends who kept him grounded.

“I remember a lot of the nights in the hospital just talking to God, and I made a promise that if he got me through it, I would share my testimony, which is one of the reasons I wrote the book. My mom was the main spiritual driving force. She’s always been praying, talking to God, and saying, ‘Please get him through this,’ and so that’s where I developed such strong faith,” he told the Sunday Observer.

He said, on most days, he read The Purpose Driven Life — a daily devoted centred on finding purpose in all circumstances — as a source of encouragement, trusting that his then circumstance was for a reason.

Spencer said while undergoing chemotherapy that reason became clearer when God performed a miracle that kick-started his transition to becoming cancer-free.

A 17-year-old Mario Spencer is all smiles while undergoing treatment for osteosarcoma.

“Two months into chemotherapy, I witnessed the tumour [in my leg] actually fall off. The tumour shrunk until it dried up and then one day the nurse was cleaning [the exposed infected area], and she noticed that the tumour was moving. It was protruding through the skin, and it was moving. He [the doctor] took it up, and that’s when it came out in his hand, and he was speechless, and I, myself, was speechless. He called all the doctors and was like, ‘Doc, you all need to see this’. It was literally a miracle,” he recounted.

Seeking to stay true to his promise to God, Spencer said he wrote a few chapters of his story after he was released from the hospital but never got around to finishing the book. He confessed that he prioritised furthering his education and advancing in his chosen field, wanting to have a few accomplishments under his belt to really capture what can be possible when a person believes in God. He said he began writing again in January of this year.

“I had to really allow myself to kind of travel back in time mentally, and really put myself back in the hospital bed. As I was recalling everything, I realised that there were some things that I kind of forgot, and I was like, ‘Wow, all of these things really happened.’ It was emotional. The whole time I was writing in my laptop, I had tears falling on it. Sometimes I just had to take a break, and then when I was going through proofreading again, I was crying,” he told the Sunday Observer.

“I’ve seen so many stories of young people with the same cancer that didn’t make it. For example, there was a young lady who went to a church that I would visit, and just a few years ago she passed away from the same type of cancer. Before that, there was a young footballer…he passed away. He amputated his leg and went what was considered a safe route, and he still died,” said Spencer.

He continued: “I look at all of those stories, and I’m like, ‘Why am I here?’ I do have some survivor’s remorse…I remember a friend of mine, he reached out for advice because he had a friend who had the same diagnosis and was going through it, and as much as I could, I tried to give advice, and I pray for people as well. I don’t know why God did what he did, but I just feel like it was for a purpose for me to, as much as I can, share the word and tell my story to help another person in the hopes that they can feel strengthened and uplifted and, hopefully, they survive”.

He shared that his book is available on Amazon and the audiobook can also be accessed on Odiyo. For Spencer, his main hope is for anyone who reads his book to be reminded that with God, all things are possible.

“He shows up, not whenever we want, but whenever he sees that it’s time for him to show up. He’s not on our time, and if His timing is perfect, His plan is perfect,” he encouraged.