Victor Gonzalez Continued...

 

INSPIRATIONAL PRESENCE

But what gave Victor the strength to get through?

Well, there were the prayers and well wishes of his loved ones. There was the internal fortitude that makes Victor such a competitor.

And there was soccer.

He couldn’t play, of course. But there were was no way he was going to sit around moping about. So despite feeling week and nauseated from the chemo, Victor started attending the United FC practices.

Bald from the treatment and with a cane to support him, he took his post on the sideline; just being a teammate.

“He’s a kid who just has so much passion,” said head coach Matt Swindle, who has coached Victor for over five years. “It was very emotional for me because we have history. He was always there.”

It was by no means easy for Victor to take in the action, mind you.

“It was very difficult to watch practices and games because my teammates were doing the very thing that I loved,” he said. “I wasn’t sure when or if I’d get back to the game.”

Victor’s teammates found strength in his presence, and purpose in his absence.

Out of the 11 games played in the FWRL, where they finished 9-2-0, the team trailed at halftime seven times only to come back and avoid defeat.

They were fighting back just like their missing teammate.

“We played for him the whole season,” said teammate and cousin Christian Gonzalez. “Every day I hoped and prayed that he would get better and be OK. Everything we did was for him.”

 

NEW BEGINNING

It took seven months of treatment to effectively remove Victor’s tumor, and he received his final dose of chemo on August 15, 2008. Less than a month later, he was cleared to begin training and working out.

It came as no surprise to anyone who knows him.

“He’s a very determined young man,” Dee said. “I think you have to be to make it through what he has.”

Last month, Victor underwent a series of scans done quarterly and it was revealed that he was cancer-free.

He now plays for his varsity soccer team at Capistrano Valley High School in Mission Viejo, California, and for those who may have recently met him he’s just another soccer talent.

But Victor is anything but. And those fortunate enough to know him, who witnessed that uplifting day last November, have been blessed with an indelible occasion they’ll never forget.

And neither will Victor.

“It’s still kind of hard to believe that I went through that experience,” he said. “I learned that I could get through anything. Cancer isn’t the end.”

For Victor Gonzalez, it was just the beginning.