Former cancer patient and ambassador of the Fuck Cancer project for the Pilsen Region

"I don't blame anyone. I actually cut them off, I didn't want the sympathetic looks that were coming down on me."

1) What appealed to you about the FUCK CANCER project and why are you putting your energy into it?

Mainly by the people who make it and the fact that it's a really good idea. And the fact that I've been through cancer myself.

2) What does the term FUCK CANCER mean or express to you?

During my treatment, I liked the movie "Till He Comes for Us", where the line "Cancer is boring" comes up. In a way, I can see the FUCK CANCER underneath that line. Simply that cancer is just a disease that must be beaten.

3) Can you imagine who you are fighting for here as a "SOLDIER"?

I'm fighting for all current and future patients.

That cancer is vulgar, brutal and disgusting. So why talk about it with kid gloves?

The story of Tomáš

I was 17 years old at the time and had completely different plans. It started with a pretty painful experience for me because I got an anus infection out of nowhere. In retrospect, I call this incident a lucky f**k up, because without it, the fact that I had a more serious problem in me wouldn't have been discovered until much later and probably with more consequences. I was lucky to have doctors who were alert even though my blood tests showed borderline values and normally I would probably have continued to be treated for ,,inflammation,,. Perhaps because they themselves had personal experience with cancer. I was eventually sent to University Hospital for a bone marrow sample and waited impatiently for the results. After a week, my parents were called in, as I was underage, and they were told that I had ALL, or acute lymphoblastic leukemia. It was a shock to all of us and I can't imagine how hard it must have been for my parents to be told the diagnosis and then have to pack up my things and drive me to the oncology department. I still remember the day I entered the hospital. It was a really horrible day. The doctors explained what I was going to have to face and also warned me that the treatment would last for two years, which was unimaginable to me at the time. I had great difficulty coming to terms with the situation. I remember asking myself, 'Why me? I simply didn't want to believe it, because I entered the hospital as a healthy boy. Over time, I got used to what chemotherapy and the various tests were doing to me and generally got better. At that point, I realized I could probably make it. And that I did, although there were worse days, both physically and mentally.

Only my family visited me in the hospital and only my classmates and the football team I played for knew I was sick. They all wished me well and wished me well, but only my classmates visited me once. I don't blame anyone. I actually cut them off, I didn't want the sympathetic looks that brought me down.  My spirits were lifted by everyone around me, but you know, sometimes there are better days and sometimes there are worse days. The thing that helped me the most was being able to go home on leave.  I slept in my own bed, no machines beeping, no vampires coming in (nurses for recruitment), it just wasn't a hospital. However, everyone in the hospital treated me great and to this day I still visit them on the ward when I have a trip to the hospital.

I was looking forward to a "normal" life and I had great support from my class teacher, who was very supportive, because I was sick more often and everything did not go as smoothly as before my illness.  The illness took something away from me, but it also gave me something. It shifted me mentally, and I began to see life differently. I try to take life almost always with humour now, because taking it too seriously is not good in my opinion. In conclusion, I would like to say something to another patient who may be reading this. It's simple. Fight so the bitch doesn't win! It's definitely worth it!

In closing, I would just like to add a quote from my favorite Dr. House show, "Cancer is boring."

Soldiers & Heroes