David Paul Bears It All!

“God breaks a man deeply so that He may use him Mightily,” a quote that comes from David Paul, a cancer patient survivor who proves that everything is worth living for.

by Dante Rossetti Santos Alejo

David Paul admits that reaching his dreams to succeed is more difficult without a father guiding him on the path he is taking. Yet, he remains strong amidst the tests that came into his life.

He is currently studying Mass Communication at the Far Eastern University. He took his elementary and high school in Take the Nations for Jesus Christian Academy (TNJCA) formerly Corpus Christi Christian School. Let us all understand him better through the questions I asked him.

Q: Who are your parents?
A: My mother is Veneranda Ilayat Ariles and my father is Deogracias D. Diego.

Q: Why are you using your mother’s surname?
A: I’m using it because my mother and my father are separated. My mother wants me to use her surname instead of my father’s.

Q: What is your set-up? I mean, do you live with your mother or father in a certain time and day?
A: No. I just live with my mother. The last time I saw my father was nine (9) years ago, that was in 2001.

Q: Is he still alive?
A: Yes, of course. He is.

Q: Do you know where he is now?
A: As far as I know, he is still in U.S. because he works there.

Q: Is your father supporting you?
A: Yes. Financial support particularly.

Q: Do you have siblings?
A: None in my mother’s side but I have half-sister and half-brother in my father’s side. (He told me the names of the two but I decided not to identify them in the article for security reasons)

Q: Do you have girlfriend?
A: None. I am not courting anyone because I am afraid to be rejected.

Q: What do you do in your life?
A: I just do everything I want to as long as I am not restricted to do it and I live life to the fullest. I do not care what people say. I am immune to that.

Q: What do you mean “I am immune to that”? From what?
A: People laugh at me because of my actions and they always say something behind my back. Well, I can’t blame them. They do not know what I suffered from that made me who I am now.

Q: Ok. Next question is what is your unforgettable experience?
A: My unforgettable experience is when I suffered from cancer.

Q: What kind of cancer did you suffer from?
A: It is leukemia. I was diagnosed in 2004.

Q: How did you overcome that cancer?
A: I had undergone in chemotherapy for about three to four years. I went in and out of the hospital.

Q: How did you manage your studies while suffering from leukemia?
A: I had to study at home because my doctor advised me not to go out while I was having chemotherapy. When I recovered, I went back to school and it was my fourth year in high school then.

Q: So, are you saying that you are now a cancer-survivor?
A: Yes, I am. I thank God for letting me to live and helping me to recover as fast as it could.

Q: How do you perceive life now?
A: I perceive life now better because God gave it to us though temporarily but we still have to take care of it and do what we have to do. Face our problems with God and it surely will be solved. God breaks a man deeply so that He may use him Mightily. Let us just live life to the fullest.

David is perceived by the others as always serious, low-tempered or easily gets mad, God-fearing, and intelligent but weird. During the interview with him, I have observed through his eyes and actions that he is serious and determined in life. I also noticed that he cannot establish an eye contact with me most of the time and I do not know why.

On the other hand, David has just celebrated his debut last December 7 and he is looking forward to having better health and longer life. He lives now happily, stays stronger and still ready to face whatever obstacles may come in his life.

Source:
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