By Tom Rakocevic

Emmanuel "Manny" Adwarkah is one of 50,000 students who attend York University here in our community. In 2012, while most students his age were worrying about their futures, Manny was worrying about whether he would even have a future. Manny's story is about a young man who took no chances with his health and stayed strong while battling illness.

On June 6, 2012, Manny sat on the ground at a TTC stop, his head buried in his arms. On that warm and sunny Thursday afternoon, Manny received a terrible diagnosis: he had cancer.Manny had reacted quickly in seeking answers to the cause of a strange new discomfort. Being only 19 years old, he figured it couldn’t be anything serious. He kept his concerns from his family and friends to avoid needless worry and went to the doctor’s alone.The diagnosis came as a shock.He described the news as surreal, “Have you ever noticed a scene in the movies when someone hears tragic news? It gets completely quiet. The camera zooms right into their face and everything around is out of focus. Hearing the doctor tell me I had cancer…the world around me vanished. It was just my thoughts and I. Until I experienced it myself, I always thought those scenes were too dramatic.”Despite the prognosis, Manny was told his chances were very good. Early detection was crucial in fighting cancer, and Manny had reacted quickly.Manny is blessed with a loving and supportive family. It was hard to keep his concerns from them, and it was even harder to tell them he had cancer. Upon hearing the news, his family was encouraging and very optimistic, but Manny could see the hidden fear in their eyes.Surgery was scheduled for July 8^th, a month after diagnosis. Although the time dragged on, Manny was optimistic about his chances to beat the cancer, the alternative was simply not an option for him. In fact, it was simply inconceivable; he would not allow himself to give in to despair.The operation was quick and successful, and Manny was sent home the same day. He was told that there would be follow-up, but by the end of August, almost two months later, the follow-up call never came. Manny decided to take matters into his own hands, and in late August he went to Princess Margaret Hospital to check his condition.The result of that visit revealed that his battle with cancer wasn’t over.A CT scan was taken, and a secondary cancer mass was discovered; one that would require chemotherapy treatment to deal with.That same week, Manny met with his best friend at York University and confided in her. “It was the look on her face; until that moment, everything seemed so unreal. Somehow right there seeing her reaction, I faced the truth of my situation.”He began chemotherapy in early September, and withdrew from his university courses in order to focus on his recovery. Completely exhausted, he spent a lot of time reflecting on his life. He realized that he had been in a big worrisome rush, but without a real destination.“Back then, I was easily stressed about the little things. School deadlines, my part-time job, friendships, the usual stuff. Fighting cancer put everything else into perspective.”Within the first cycle of treatment, Manny already began showing signs of improvement. Even the doctors were surprised by how well it was going. Little by little, Manny began to envision a future where he would appreciate every day, and do the things he wanted in life.On December 7, 2012 Manny learned he had beaten cancer.He was given a second chance at life, and since then has been making the most of it since. Today he is working towards a Business degree at York University, which he hopes to combine with his love of photography. You can see some of Manny's work at blog.mannydark.com or on Instagram: @mannydark.