By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

JUST days before Father’s Day, Sharvez Woodside stood in a cancer centre ringing the bell — a symbol of survival after months of aggressive treatment for a rare disease that almost killed him before he could meet his daughter.

The 24-year-old father of two had just completed chemotherapy for small cell lung cancer, a diagnosis so rare doctors told him it affects only one in 200 people; and so aggressive, they had to create a custom drug regimen to treat him.

“It was unbelievable,” Mr Woodside said. “Never smoked vape a day in my life, but turns out I had lung cancer.”

His symptoms started subtly: swollen lymph nodes that led to visits with doctors in New Providence. But answers didn’t come until he travelled to the US and sought emergency care at the urging of a relative.

“From there, I was sent to a hospital, and then I was transferred six hours later to a cancer hospital,” he recalled. “They were trying to figure out what was going on, and I found out that I had a rare diagnosis of something called small cell lung cancer.”

The news hit hard. He was just six weeks away from becoming a father.

“I’m in the hospital, and the only thing they’re telling me is that I have cancer, and the only thing I can think about is I haven’t even met my baby girl,” he said. “Like, will I live to see my baby girl?”

“They told me that they have to create a drug for me. They had to make a direct chemotherapy for me.”

Beyond the physical suffering, the financial weight was staggering. Medical bills climbed past $120,000.

“But luckily, my family, they always kept me sane through it at all times,” he said. “Not to worry, money will come. Just focus on getting better.”

Health complications and hospital restrictions kept him from seeing his newborn during the most critical phase of treatment — but what he lacked in proximity, he gained in motivation.

“If it’s my spiritual beliefs that allow me to stay sane, if it’s my family showing me love every day regardless of how I felt or what I thought I was going through, that’s what kept me sane,” he said.

The experience reshaped his understanding of loyalty, too.

“I told the people that were definitely there — I told them that I appreciate y’all, and I am in your debt because some of the people that you think are in your corner aren’t and the real show themselves during hard times.”

Through months of pain, endless needle sticks, and moments of fear, one thought anchored him: his children.

“I couldn’t give up,” he said. “No matter what. I couldn’t give up. I am so scared of needles, but 16 days in the hospital, I had to get stuck four times a day. I pray to God every time. My kids were the reason I pushed. I couldn’t give up. I have to be in their life.”

Now cancer-free and rebuilding, Mr Woodside is determined to make every day count.

“Every day is taking on a new meaning for me,” he said. “I’m gonna live life and be grateful and live unto God because it’s only through him and within him that I am here.”

Before his diagnosis, he was in his final year at the University of The Bahamas, pursuing a degree in education. He plans to return and finish.