THE DELEON INSIGHT
Left: A positive Ken DeLeon during cancer treatment. Rather than bemoan losing his hair due to chemotherapy, Ken threw a hair shaving party with his family and friends. Right: Ken giving motivational speeches about his life lessons.
LIFE LESSONS FROM BEATING CANCER (PART1) By Ken DeLeon
Having come so close to death, I have gained a heightened appreciation for life. I now appreciate every moment, as I now know life can end in an instant. Through the life lessons I learned while recovering from my nearly fatal car accident, I gained the courage to leave the practice of law in 2000 for my passion: real estate. Fast forward several years to 2007 - my life was going amazingly well, my real estate career was thriving, my young family was growing, and my first son was expected to join my two daughters in a few months. With all of these positives, I was trying to not let an onset of a sharp pain in my back bring me down. However, even with a physical therapy regimen, the pain progressed and became so intolerable that I finally went to see a doctor. Upon initial examination, I appeared fine and was scheduled to get a cortisone shot to numb the pain after a precautionary MRI. Since my doctor’s appointment was scheduled for the next week, I was surprised when the doctor called me the day after my MRI asking me to rush in. Full of apprehension, I listened to the doctor’s diagnosis.
22 | DE LEO N RE A LT Y.CO M
With a concerned face, the doctor said, “Ken, we have both good news and bad news. The good news is that your back is fine. The bad news is that the MRI showed that you have a mass, likely a tumor, the size of a large softball. This mass is expanding and pushing on your spine and spleen, causing your back pain.” Being only 35 and seemingly in good health, I was shocked. Thoughts of my daughters and unborn son rushed into my head and I asked incredulously, “Doctor, how can this be and what could it be?” The doctor then asked me how I got the large scar running up and down my right leg. I told him that a speeding car hit my calf and all of the swelling required that my leg be cut and left open for a week as the muscle swelling subsided. The doctor hypothesized that I had lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph nodes. Lymphoma strikes younger victims and is associated with heavy trauma, such as my horrific car accident. I went to a deserted restroom to process this shocking news. I cried for thirty minutes as I thought of all those I loved. My children needed me, and after my sister’s suicide, I was all that my parents had left. My love for my family and parents then
