Christopher High School student bravely faces battle with cancer
Gilroy community has stepped up in various ways to help family
Photo courtesy Tiffany Gonzalez
From left, Jaxen, Tiffany, Destiny, Trinity and and Jordan Gonzalez in a recent family photo. Tiffany lost her husband to a motorcycle accident in 2018 and is now dealing with her oldest daughter’s cancer diagnosis.
By Marty Cheek
Destiny Gonzalez dreamed of staying active in her high school years as a cheerleader. Fate, unfortunately, had other plans for the teenager.
One day in June after cheer tryouts, Destiny began complaining of a sore, stiff knee. Her mother, Tiffany, took her to a doctor to have it checked out. The Gonzalez family were shocked to learn the X-ray exam revealed a massive tumor growing around her knee. Destiny was diagnosed with lower-grade parosteal osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer.
The Christopher High School student had the tumor removed, her knee replaced, and a 16-cm metal rod inserted into her femur. A week later, Destiny celebrated her sweet 16th birthday in a way that no child should ever have to. She took it like a champ and remained in good spirits in her recovery from the operation.
“We were told that removing the tumor and replacing her knee should be enough to keep the cancer at bay,” Tiffany recalled. “However, two weeks after the surgery, we found out that the tumor was riddled with high-grade osteosarcoma and that chemotherapy would be necessary to both prevent the chance of spread and to address the possibility that the cancer had spread to other parts of her body.”
Before starting chemotherapy, doctors ran some more tests and confirmed the worst news yet — the cancer had already metastasized to her lungs.
The medical crisis is taking a toll on the entire Gonzalez family, changing their lives and routines.
Tiffany’s 9-year-old son, Jordan, cries because he doesn’t want his sister to have cancer and doesn’t understand why his mother has to be away from him so often.
Her 7-year-old son, Jaxen, tells her he’s scared to see what his sister has to go through.
And 5-year-old Trinity says her sister’s cancer makes her sad.
“And Destiny accepts all of this horrible news as bravely as she can,” Tiffany said. “It absolutely breaks my heart and crushes my spirit.”
The impact this illness and the looming months of chemo treatment has taken on the Gonzalez family has been tremendous. Tiffany thought losing her husband, Mike, in a motorcycle accident in February 2018 was the hardest thing she would have to go through in life. She discovered having a child who is sick with cancer and she cannot do anything to take her pain away is just as hard, if not harder. The situation is made even worse during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Being a single mom of four is made even more difficult because she finds herself being torn in different directions in helping Destiny and the rest of her children deal with the medical crisis. But there isn’t anything she wouldn’t do for her children and she vows she will always be their rock.
“In a way, this experience has taught us to not get our hopes up too soon, to take everything one step at a time,” she said. “Making sure Destiny goes to every appointment needed, being there with her while she goes through chemo, and making sure my other three children are taken care of is what matters most.”
Destiny had been included in every decision of her treatment process. Tiffany thinks this has helped her remain positive. Between all of the chemotherapy, she still has to do physical therapy to ensure her knee regains complete strength. Initially, she refused to concede to defeat. After her first round of chemotherapy, her morale has changed a bit. She feels nauseous, can’t eat, and is tired 24 hours a day.
“She absolutely hates feeling that way,” Tiffany said. “Destiny is an amazingly strong young woman, though, and I have faith she won’t let this bring her down. We enjoy watching (television) shows together, and she would like to learn how to knit. Through it all, she tries to make jokes about herself. She stays positive and is optimistic.”
Osteosarcoma is a very aggressive disease. Destiny will endure 29 weeks of chemotherapy, which means between three to five days spent in the hospital every time she’s in for treatment.
In addition, she will be required to have lab work done once a week and her central line used for the chemo needs to be cleaned once a day. Routine scans will be needed to check for tumor growth. There is also the possibility that more surgeries may be required to remove additional cancer growth.
Through it all, Gilroyans have been supportive. People have come together to lend a hand by bringing meals to their home or by helping watch the younger children. The local floral shop Expressions Floral put on a fundraiser Sunday, Aug. 16, donating all the proceeds.
Click on this link to sign up for the plant sale fundraising event at Expressions Floral
The community has helped raise more than $10,000 so far by donating to a GoFundMe campaign set up by Lisa Lemke, Destiny’s cousin.
The Gonzalez family are now going through a tough battle, but they remain appreciative of the support they have received.
“We couldn’t be more thankful,” Tiffany said. “So many friends, who are like family, from the Foothills Church, my kids’ baseball/softball/cheerleading teams, and from my son’s martial arts organization have reached out to help in any way they can. Our neighbors have been there for us every day to see if we need anything and have helped with our dogs while we were away at the hospital. I couldn’t do it without them. My family is blessed to live in a community like Gilroy and to call this town our home.”
