#BraveLikeSaul
Name: Saul Escobar
Age: 29
Diagnosis: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Years of Survivorship: 1 year
Location: California
Follow Saul on Instagram.
How has running or staying physically active affected your cancer journey?
Staying physically active during a physically crippling and challenging period in my life has been extremely important for so many reasons. Prior to my diagnosis, I was a very active person who enjoyed hiking, working out, playing basketball, and every other sport imaginable. As a result of my diagnosis, my body completely shut down, making all the activities I loved doing impossible to participate in. At times, I could hardly muster the strength and energy to lift my head off my pillow, get up to use the bathroom, or walk down the hall.
As a cancer patient, I spent several months in the hospital due to abnormal labs, fevers, blood transfusion, and even a bone marrow transplant. During my stay, the hospital staff members encouraged me to walk. They even had an incentive for patients that for every mile walked you would receive a small footprint token. I made it a goal to walk a marathon during my stay at the hospital. Once I was discharged, I had walked 30 miles.
Staying active and setting goals for myself gave me an enormous mental boost and sense of accomplishment that I desperately needed. When I got back home, I walked 4 miles every day. Regardless if it was raining or snowing, I made sure to get my miles in and held myself accountable. Spending time outside and walking was critical to my physical and mental health.
I actually never enjoyed running prior to my diagnosis. As a basketball player in high school, if you got into trouble during practice the consequences were running laps or wind sprints. Running seemed like such a boring and pointless sport to me. That ALL changed after I stumbled upon a short film by Billy Yang (an amazing filmmaker/podcaster focused on running) titled “LEADMAN: the Dave Mackey Story”. It was an inspiring story of Dave Mackey, an ultra-marathon runner who completed the Leadville 100-mile race after having his leg amputated from a hiking accident. A true story of perseverance and resilience through extreme physical and mental adversity, it motivated me to drop the excuses and lace my shoes up.
Running became my salvation throughout my cancer journey; an escape from my reality of doctors’ appointments, blood draws, and chemo sessions. It gave me the motivation I needed to continue to get up every morning and move forward.
Having cancer affected my mindset in several ways. I lived in fear most days, contemplating my own mortality. However, when I went out for a run, I felt so ALIVE! For that brief moment in time when I was outside, all the negative thoughts I had about my life went out the window. While running I feel like the luckiest person alive, reflecting on all the bouts of chemo, painful bone marrow biopsies, and sleepless nights I pushed through to be where I am today.
Before I go on each run I say a quick prayer, thanking God for the opportunity to run, a small privilege that can easily be taken away from us at any given moment. When I started running, I could hardly make it down the street without gasping for air. Last month I completed my first half marathon. Running has given me hope in my life at a time when I felt hopeless, and for that I am eternally grateful.
What advice do you have for people on staying fit throughout their cancer treatment or recovery?
Start small and work your way up. I started with walking up and down my street to get what little exercise I could handle. As I built more strength and muscle on my legs, I began to run.
I was a very active person prior to my diagnosis so I made the mistake a few times of jumping ahead to where I was physically instead of listening to my body. Take things slow and make daily or weekly goals for yourself and hold yourself accountable.
Being diagnosed with cancer not only affects the body, but more importantly the mind. Staying active during your cancer journey helped me mentally in so many ways! Do not get discouraged! Stick with it!
What are some of your proudest accomplishments since being diagnosed with cancer?
My proudest accomplishment since being diagnosed has been reaching remission. Having Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia with a (+) Philadelphia Chromosome meant I needed a bone marrow transplant to have any chance of reaching remission. I was fortunate enough to have found a 100% bone marrow match and had my transplant on February 25th, 2020. Six months later, I was in remission and absolutely thrilled about this new chapter in my life moving forward, cancer free.
My second proudest accomplishment since being diagnosed was getting accepted back to the Physician Assistant program at Pacific University in Hillsboro, OR. Prior to my diagnosis, I was in the middle of my first year of Physician Assistant school. A goal of mine that consumed the last 6 years of my life prior to my diagnosis. When I was diagnosed, I was forced to drop out of the program and focus my attention on my health and cancer treatment. Now in remission, I am extremely proud to be accepted back into the program and fulfill my dream of becoming a Physician Assistant.
The last accomplishment that I am extremely proud of was completing a Half Marathon. This wasn’t an official race, just the 13.1-mile distance. I remember when I first started running, I could hardly run down the street without being exhausted and out of breath. I can’t help but feel proud of myself when I look back at how far I’ve come since my diagnosis, making this accomplishment all the more special. Reaching remission, returning to PA school, and running a Half Marathon are all accomplishments I did not think were going to be possible at times. I’m extremely grateful for the support system I am surrounded by that has motivated me to continue to chase my goals regardless of the circumstance.
How has Gabe's story impacted you or changed the way you view life as a cancer patient/survivor?
I initially heard about Gabe’s story through a Billy Yang podcast with Justin Grunewald. It was such an emotional and impactful podcast about Gabe’s life. Immediately after hearing it, I visited the Brave Like Gabe website to get more information and learned about Gabe’s life and battle with cancer.
Gabe’s journey motivated me in such a profound way. Her perseverance and determination to continue to live life to the fullest, regardless of the circumstances, gives me an optimistic view on life as a cancer survivor.
At the beginning, I tried sweeping my cancer diagnosis under the rug. It was something I didn’t necessarily want people knowing about me. Not that I was ashamed or embarrassed, but I didn’t want to have any labels or preconceived notions placed on me. However, because of Gabe’s journey and how she embodied all the characteristics of what a true fighter is, I wear my cancer badge with pride. Gabe left an amazing legacy to continue the fight towards rare cancer research, and the world is a better place because of her efforts.
What does being #BraveLikeSaul mean to you?
The funny thing is that I don’t feel brave. I’m just responding to an unfortunate situation I had no control over in the best way I know how. There is no blueprint on how to beat cancer or how to accurately handle all the negative side effects. You just do your best hope that it all works out.
There are MANY days when I wake up in the morning and don’t feel brave, hopeful, or optimistic about the future. All I try to do is remind myself that there is always someone out there who has it far worse than I do. Children who wake up every morning with cancer and are faced with battling this disease. That image of others fighting gives me the strength to get out of bed, quit complaining, and continue to push forward.
My spirit to constantly fight back during my cancer journey was not my efforts alone. It was the combination of support from so many friends and family that consistently gave me courage and motivation when I had none. I constantly leaned on others to uplift me during my darkest days, and without that support system I don’t have the ability to be brave.
No one fights or beats cancer on their own, it’s a team effort. Being #BraveLikeSaul is the culmination of so many others behind the scenes that GAVE me the strength to never give up, continue to persevere, and always push your hardest when your back is against the wall.
What are you most looking forward to in the near future?
I am excited to see what new running goals and opportunities might present themselves in 2021. The dream would be to run a marathon. For now, I am just running as much as I can to build endurance and improve my mileage. I am very excited to continue to make improvements in my running!
I am also extremely excited to continue my dream and goal of becoming a Physician Assistant. Prior to my diagnosis I was enrolled into Pacific University’s PA program in Oregon, until I was diagnosed with Leukemia forcing me to drop out. Now that I am in remission, I am proud to announce that I have been accepted back into the graduate program to finish my degree.