PANAMA CITY BEACH — Colten White’s medical history has been complicated, he says.
At age 8 he was diagnosed with a non-unusual immunodeficiency of vitamins, and at age 10 he was diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.
Still, the Alabama local and part-time resident of Panama City Beach surprised when he was diagnosed with diffuse giant B-cell lymphoma, one of the most frequent and competitive forms of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Thus began White’s adventure of nearly six months of intense chemotherapy, which ended in November 2020 when he announced he had no cancer. Now he needs to give back to those who helped him.
White will host an underwater tournament next month at Panama City Beach to give back to the hospital that treated him, Children’s of Alabama.
Local Student Work in DC: Rutherford Student Gets a Spot at the NATIONAL History Day Fair in DC
Catch your fishing rod: No boat?Don’t worry!Here are 10 places to fish on land in Bay County
Related: Firefighters are 14% more likely to die from cancer. 3 departments of the bay unload budget to combat it.
The first “Dive for a Cure” combines White’s formative years’ love of spearfishing and his purpose to help cure the competitive cancer he fought. It is scheduled for July 15 and 16 at Diver’s Den in Panama City Beach, beginning with a launch dinner at 5:30 p. m. on July 15 and ending with a weigh-in at 4:16 p. m. July.
Having spent his summers in Panama City Beach and still unable to participate in spearfishing tournaments, he said he was delighted.
“It’s wonderful to be able to bring that back to all the local divers who love spearfishing and need to compete and show their talent,” White said. “I’m grateful to be able to do it for such a smart cause while doing what I love in the position I love. “
It all started in the summer before his year time in high school in 2020. While the world has virtually closed to his surroundings due to the COVID-19 pandemic, White and his circle of relatives made the adventure to their home in Panama City Beach to escape. .
“For a lot of other people it was a very complicated time, but for us it was quite fun because we had to live in the beach space and do things that we love and don’t do at the time. they’re in school,” White said.
Suddenly, having the opportunity to go to the beach and dive, White said that things were improving at such a dubious time. He grew up spending time at his grandparents’ home in Panama City Beach, as well as his family’s beach house, and was thrilled to return to a position that meant so much to him.
Then he saw a lump in his groin that would replace everything.
“I went to the doctor about it. They said it didn’t look like anything, the labs didn’t show anything,” White said. there, so we contacted the doctor. It was a kind of repetition: it was like nothing, the labs didn’t show anything. “
White’s circle of relatives sought several revisions and heard the same thing again.
After meeting with her pediatrician, she got rid of the mass and had a biopsy done. His circle of relatives still questioned through the surgeon, saying they saw nothing to worry about.
“We need to move forward and do it to give us peace of mind because we were more and more involved in what was, it would actually be better now,” White said. “And that’s when I was diagnosed with cancer on August 26, 2020. “
White remembers the moment he heard the terrible news, sitting with his mother and father when they heard the phone ring. His mother saw that he was coming from the doctor and responded temporarily.
“I (my father) asked my mother to put the phone on a speaker, so we could all pay attention and when those words came out, ‘I got cancer,’ I got numb and blocked everything else. , says Blanc. ” Everything I was looking to do in my life began to rush into my head. I didn’t know if I was going to have those things. “
The next morning, Colten and his circle of family members traveled to the Children’s of Alabama in Birmingham to meet with oncologist Dr. Julia S. Ana Xavier and talk about remedy options.
White said Dr. Xavier has played a vital role in his system.
“She was the greatest blessing I didn’t even know I would have. I remember. . . sitting in the waiting room and playing with my hands because I was nervous,” White recalls. “She found me in the waiting room without me,even knowing who she was and she just hugged me and told me I would be fine. It was encouraging for me. “
The Whites and Xavier discussed all possible treatment plans together. They also made plans for Colten’s scans, which returned and revealed that his cancer was level 4.
“Honestly, I’m not surprised. I felt like maybe just because of what she told me, what the cancer looked like,” White said. “But it was a bit shocking. “
With a level four diagnosis, Dr. Xavier found it best for White to undergo intense chemotherapy, which required him to be admitted and leave the hospital every two to three weeks. Over the next six months, he gained all five cycles of critical treatment. chemotherapy
From the pain of severe mouth sores, fatigue and nausea to the emotional weight of losing all her hair by age 15, White said chemotherapy was exhausting.
However, he said the formula of his family, youth group, friends and religion had helped him pass this test.
“My circle of relatives continued to help me through this and the Lord was actually the most important thing. . . I know this was happening for a reason and I just had to accept it as truth with him and write Bible verses in the window that we were allowed to use this view of the city,” White said. “I hoped it would inspire other cancer patients who might not have this. That wasn’t my only goal, but I also sought it out to remind me each and every day that I can just take a look at those verses and have the lord’s promise. “
Just a week before Thanksgiving 2020, White’s family still received the words they expected to hear. Colten had beaten cancer.
“I knew I was going to hear the words of the units. . . I did,” White said. My doctor came here and told me he was excited. I like it, I just did it, I just beat cancer. “
Nearly two years later, White remains cancer-free. He still visits the Children’s every three months for lab tests and follow-up.
The concept of “Dive for a Cure” grew slowly after White and his circle of family members thought last September about how to find tactics to return Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
After returning to the drawing board several times, he said the idea came to them when they fell in love with diving.
“It’s our circle of family members and everyone in the Hayden, Alabama, network knows we’re doing it because it’s unique,” White said. “And in Panama City, even more people are doing it. “
White’s family circle set out to create the occasion by making T-shirts and partnering with clubs at Colten High School.
“I talked to other organizations and promoted the idea. . . We sold chocolate cookies, ribbons, snacks and ended up raising close to $3,000,” White said. “And then I spoke in front of a giant The audience at a football event on Friday night and many other people came to show their support. . . We also perform a rite of determination after my speech, for all cancer survivors in formative years or others who recently experienced cancer at our main school. . “
Whites donated $3,000 to Children’s of Alabama for cancer research. White said one of the main life-saving drugs was rituximab, approved for teenagers while receiving treatment.
He said his circle of family are smart friends with several divers in the Panama City Beach domain and that they are all excited about the tournament.
“A lot of other people say they’re going to participate and it’s encouraging and wonderful to see it take off and work,” White said.
White and hospital officials are already making plans for the tournament to return to the PCB as an annual event.
In a full-circle moment to donate to the hospital that helped him regain his health, he said he was humble.
“I’m grateful to be here to be able to do that. I never thought it would explode like this,” White said. “It’s mind-blowing, but I’m grateful for it. “
To register and participate in “Dive for a Cure”, panamacity. org.