Marshall Thomas

age:18

Marshall Thomas didn’t remember much when he was initially hospitaliz ed in Colorado after being diagnosed with pre-B acute lymphoblastic leukemia in June 2019.

And while he has been going through treatment for cancer, he still wasn’t his fully energetic self.

So as his health improved, the Suffolk teen was ready to come out of his own qua rantine. But last spring, Marshall, a homeschool student who will graduate high school this year, ended up having to qua rantine again for the coronavirus pandemic. “I’m a professional,” he joked.

Now 18, the Suffolk teen, even with having to go to the hospital every other week for chemotherapy and lab work, is much more himself again, full of energy and ready to take on the world.

“Nothing’s making me sick anymore,” Marshall said. “So I’m in a lot better mood, feeling a lot better.”

And in addition to his studies, Marshall has built himself a computer and he has a job again, having become a certified locksmith.

After he graduates, he hopes to work more and draw a salary.

Marshall said he appreciates all of the support he has received, and continues to receive, even after his cancer had gone into remission.

“Family is important,” Marshall said. “If you get sick like that, you can’t really do anything for yourself, so you’ve got to have people there that will be willing to help you walk to the bathroom, things like that.”

Being an independent teenager, needing help from others wasn’t always easy to accept.

“It was pretty hard,” Marshall said. “I was pretty self-sufficient before that. At one point, I lived with my cousin for an entire summer. We would just get up and work and do our own thing.”

But the cancer was only one part of what he was dealing with.

“It’s been difficult afterward too, because I got diagnosed with clinical depression,” Marshall said. “I’ve pretty much gotten over that now, but that was just as difficult as the cancer part, just in a different way. I definitely have a new respect for people who have had it their whole lives.”

— Jimmy LaRoue

What is one game you would want to have if you were stranded on a deserted island? “The Forest”

What word or phrase would you use to describe yourself? Hard-working