By McKENZIE BECKER
TEENS IN THE NEWSROOM
Editor’s note: On Tuesday doctors told Trevor Machado-Ching that his cancer is in remission. Teens in the Newsroom writer McKenzie Becker spent time with him this summer as he battled non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.
OAKDALE — It’s the dog days of summer — 110 degrees outside — and Trevor Machado-Ching sits on the back of a truck, playing with his new puppy, Flash.
Not 10 feet away is an air-conditioned building, but Trevor and Flash can’t go in. Why? Trevor is battling non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, a type of cancer, and his blood count is low due to chemotherapy. Inside the building there are people with germs — germs that could threaten Trevor’s life.
But Trevor doesn’t mind staying outside, just like he didn’t seem to mind traveling every two weeks to Stanford University Medical Center to undergo chemotherapy treatments.
When it comes to his medical condition, he’s kept a positive attitude.
“Nothing’s stopping me, “said Trevor, 16.
Last spring, Trevor began to feel a sharp pain in his shoulder. The star wrestler, who won the state championship during his freshman year at Oakdale High and finished fourth as a sophomore, figured it was just a small injury from wrestling.
But, when the pain didn’t go away, his mother, Corinne Macahado-Ching, became worried and took him to a chiropractor. That doctor didn’t know what was wrong, so he sent him to Modesto, and then from there he was sent to San Jose. Eventually Trevor ended up being examined at Stanford University Medical Center.
The doctor Trevor saw at Stanford didn’t know what to say. Trevor ended up having an MRI, but the doctor said the image showed nothing.
Trevor’s mom, still worried, asked that her son have a biopsy. The results came back a few days later.
When Trevor’s mom got the phone call telling her that her son had cancer, Trevor had a friend over. His mom figured she should wait to give him the news.
Trevor’s friend ended up staying late that night, so his mom had to wait until the following morning. When Trevor woke up, his mom sat him down and told him he had cancer.
Trevor was stunned. So was his family.
“My reaction was total shock. It felt like someone had cut my legs off. It was just total shock, “says Bryan Ching, Trevor’s dad.
Faith gets them through
Eventually, they turned to their faith to help them cope.
“We just said ‘Hey, we’ve got to leave it in the hands of the Lord and take positive things from everything we hear,’ “Trevor’s dad said.
Trevor’s religion has played a big part in his recovery.
“I think it’s been just a lot of praying, “he said. “Just putting my faith in God, just praying a lot, asking him to put his arms around me, protect me, and get rid of this. Having faith in God was the only way I’m going to get through this. I knew I wasn’t going to do this alone. He’s the only one who’s going to help me get through this.”
Trevor made up his mind that he was going to keep living his life as normally as possible.
Some things changed, though. He couldn’t wrestle during the time he was undergoing chemotherapy. And spending time at the hospital for treatments took away from his time with his friends.
“But my buddies are all there and real supportive, “he said. “I’m still Trevor. I really didn’t miss out on too much wrestling because the season was done and I just missed a little bit of the end of the school year and the beginning of this year. I missed this summer stuff like wrestling camps and tournaments but it wasn’t a big deal. This year I wanted to go to nationals and wrestle freestyle, but that’s OK.”
Trevor finished chemotherapy treatments last month. On Tuesday he had an appointment at Stanford and received positive news. The tumors he once had are gone, and he is now considered in remission.
Next month, Trevor will get an update on his shoulder and find out how soon he’ll be able to return to the wrestling mat.
The community of Oakdale has cheered him on through the recovery process.
Residents sold bracelets to help his family pay medical bills. His wrestling team donated money it had raised, money that was earmarked for new equipment. (Weeks later, Nike heard about this and gave equipment to the team).
There were still a lot of expenses left to pay, though.
“I’m sure my parents have to pay a lot of it, but with everyone’s help and all the prayers it has been good, “Trevor said. “My mom always jokes around and says ‘Trevor, you’re costing us a lot of money.'”
Trevor, a junior at Oakdale High School this year, said he is looking forward to going back to wrestling as soon as he can, once he’s cleared by his parents and doctors.
“I plan on it, “he said. “It’s up to my parents really. They have to watch out for me and be my parents.”
Trevor’s parents and two sisters, Cortney and Whitney, are just as happy as he is to see his health improving.
“I’m really relieved, “his mother said. “I’m a lot more relaxed and a lot less stressed. I think a lot of us were just relieved that it’s all over and I’m hoping and praying that the hard part is behind us and you just take it one day at a time.”
Brian Stevens, the wrestling coach at Oakdale High School the past three years, has been Trevor’s coach since seventh grade and has watched Trevor go from winning tournaments to battling cancer.
“The community has been real supportive through all of this, “he said. “Not only the Oakdale community, but communities all over the state (particularly the wrestling community) have been really good. The high school coaches from Oakdale High School, the athletic director, principal, and staff members were there at all the fund raisers.
“They have been extremely supportive. “¦ I’m very happy with the way they have helped Trevor with school and helped him to get back to being part of the athletic program.”
Stevens says Trevor is an ideal athlete, gets good grades and works extremely hard.
“One of the hardest-working wrestlers I’ve ever had, “he said of Trevor. “He’s extremely talented and gifted. More than anything, he’s super tough. He has a very high pain tolerance. He is very motivated and goal-oriented. He has a gift — I couldn’t ask for a better role model or team leader than him.”
The power of positive thinking
Trevor has continued to surprise people with his positive attitude and outlook on life.
“I think a big part of his attitude is he is more determined than ever to accomplish his goals, “his coach said. “I also believe that he realizes some of the things that are important to him. I know one thing — he is definitely more determined than ever to meet the goals that he has always wanted to meet but for some reason he seems to be a lot more motivated.”
Still, Trevor is disappointed now that football season has started and he can’t play.
“He misses some of the simple things, “the coach said. “I’m sure he misses football and wrestling and I think that those two things are things that have made him a different person. Missing those things and just kind of being out of those things I think just made him realize that he really wants to be part of that again.”
Most everyone who has been a part of Trevor’s life has learned from his battle with cancer, and seems to have a different outlook on their own lives.
“I have learned that all of the little things that you do in life are important, “Stevens said. “Stuff you take for granted like going to work, going to school, coaching, being with your kids — all those things. Every little day is very important.”
Battling cancer is something that will stay with Trevor for the rest of his life. While many kids go through their high school years with worries like making the cheerleading squad or being the star of the football team, Trevor said having cancer has really helped to keep things in perspective.
“I think I’ll look back on it and think ‘Wow, I can’t believe that happened to me and I went through that,’ “he said. “I’m just trying to keep a positive outlook and take it day by day.”
McKenzie Becker is a junior at Oakdale Charter High School.
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