Final Draft

Isabella Mata

Period 7

   Imagine someone just nearly losing life form a doctor’s mistake in surgery and only a couple months later into recovering a doctor tells them that they have been diagnosed with cancer. That is exactly what happened to Robert Mata.

 

   On March 19, 2012, Robert Mata was informed that he had stage three Multiple Myeloma. Multiple Myeloma is a type of blood cancer that if found in the bone marrow. This type of cancer is uncommon and happens to be only found in one in 143 people and unfortunately Robert Mata happened to be one of them.

   

  According to Robert Mata the cancer was detected when a doctor had noticed that his blood work was off and told him to go to a cancer specialist. After running numerous of test the doctor detected little holes in his spine and if that wasn’t treated soon his spine could snap due to the weak bone. The doctor had called him back in to tell him the results.

  "My first thought after the doctor had told me that I have been diagnosed with cancer was what can we do to treat it," said Robert Mata.

  

 Although Robert Mata had past experiences with cancer before he never had even thought that he would be diagnosed with cancer himself. His mom had ovarian cancer and his farther had prostate cancer. Betsy Mata, his wife, had breast cancer a couple years before he was diagnosed.

  “It was hard to believe the news because we just got back on our feet only to be pushed back done,” said Betsy.

  

 Apparently Betsy received a call from the doctor who told her that Robert had Multiple Myeloma a week before Robert himself actually found out.

  

  "I was shocked and in disbelief when I heard the news that he was diagnosed with cancer,” Betsy said. "Even though I did anticipate the outcome of test. I was still hoping that it wasn’t going to be cancer."

 Although Betsy anticipated the outcome his son, Cameron Mata who was only in 8th grade at the time, didn't expect anything like this. He was only a child when his mom was going through Breast cancer and didn't think that his family would be pulled back into the world of daily hospital visits and chemotherapy treatments again.

 "I was shock to say the lease,” said Cameron. “He told me that I would have to be the man of the house and take care of my little sister and mom."

 With his caregiver being his wife and his support group being his children, Robert started his first Stem Cell Transplant in the beginning of August in 2012.

“ All that mattered is that we had faith and family with us,” said Cameron.

   Robert daily schedule required daily visits to the Southern Methothodes Hospital in San Antonio. There he went through days of chemotherapy and spent most of his time sitting on hospital beds rather then his bed at home.

   

"The doctors had froze my stem cells and it looked like a bag full of frozen blood," said Robert.

  

    After the stem cells were frozen the rotors gave him chemo through an IV for a couple days before leaving back to were his family was staying to in will return the next day. The nurse had to use a big needle slowly put the stem cells back through his arm. This process was repeated for 15 days straight.

“The needle that she used look to be about 12 inches long and 2 inches in diameter,” Robert explained.

 

   Robert was required to wear a mask to and from the hospital and was told to avoid anybody who was sick due to his extremely weak immune system. Even though this was a long process Robert stayed motivated everyday.

 "What kept me motivated everyday was the thought of living and staying alive, “said Robert.

  This experience made Robert realize that people had it worst then him. There were so many people at that hospital that had a worst type of cancer that they were fighting.

    

    "I met so many amazing people at the hospital who I really connected to because they understood what I was going though,” Robert said. “All the people were so young and just gave off good vibes and we always kept on fighting though cancer together."

  

  Although in every situation there are some ups and downs. There were times when Robert and Betsy were separated from their children for weeks at time. Their children would be all the way at home in Austin while they would be in San Antonio. But the bad times only made Robert appreciate the good times even more.

  

  "I had to become really responsible when my parents were away and that meant growing up and not being a kid anymore,” said Cameron.

  This whole experience was life changing and left an impact on everybody. And after the first stem cell transplant he was told that he had to do another one due to having a certain type of chromosome that had fought off the first stem cell transplant. But he was so happy to have his family there by his aide for all this time.

 

  "I stayed positive because I felt that I needed to show my family that everything was going to be okay and that I would not give up." said Robert. “I had no doubt in my mind that I would not die form this cancer."

   He has been fighting cancer for four years now and is finally in remission but he will continue and never stop fighting with his loving family by his side.

“I will never stop fighting in till cancer is only a word used to describe monsters inside of a nightmare instead of a sickness inside reality,” Robert said.