Please read this story about a heroic Kingsburg Viking.
Jose Manuel Valencia is starting a journey that he and his
family never expected. His journey is one that no teenager should have to
experience.
Jose is a junior at Kingsburg High School. He is a friend to many. He has played for the Viking's football team for his 3 years in high school and was named to the ALL STAR team his sophomore year.
Jose is the youngest son of 5 children of a very tight-knit family. His twin, Carlos, is his best friend. The two have a sense of humor between them that is their own. The family loves to go camping, and spend time near the rivers and lakes just hanging out and spending time together. Jose's positive outlook on life is contagious.
During the last few football games, Jose sat on the sidelines because he had suffered a leg injury during practice. His family became concerned when the pain from his leg spread to his back and shoulders.
An initial doctor's appointment showed no apparent injury. But after Jose continued to have excruciating pain and noticeable weight loss, and started missing days of school because of it, the doctors decided to run an MRI. This is where Jose's normal teenage life took an unexpected turn into the journey he is on today.
The image showed that Jose's body was under attack by his biggest opponent ever. Stage 4 Ewing Sarcoma. This cancer of the bones occurs most typically in children and in teenagers. Stage 4 of this cancer means that is has already spread to various areas of his body and is not in one central area.
Because it has spread, surgery for removal is not an option. The chemo treatments will be ongoing and aggressive because the cancer has spread throughout his body, Jose has received his first round of chemo and is scheduled to continue the treatments for the next few weeks. He has lost a lot of weight and the treatments make him very nauseous.
He is a very proud young man, positive and upbeat, and wants his friends and family to know that he's going to beat this opponent as well.
He is currently at Valley Children's in Madera. The hospital is working with Stanford on a plan for the treatments so the family is hoping to stay here locally rather than transferring to another hospital. The family would appreciate any donations to help with unexpected expenses.
This Viking will not go down without a fight!
