September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

Gold ribbons in September represent childhood cancer survivors and brings awareness to those who lost their battle to cancer.

News 25’s Jazell Ladner shares the story of a young man who is in remission from his childhood bone cancer.

Austin Lizana is cancer free, nine years and counting. He was first diagnosed in 2013 with bone cancer, causing him limited physical activity. “I was on the basketball team when I was younger. Just was playing sports, thinking it was growing pains and eventually things did not seem right. My right leg, which had the tumor in it, is pretty weak now. They had to cut a few nerves and replace and reroute some muscle and soft tissues. So, the bracelet I wear now actually helps me pick up my ankle and support that stability in the whole leg, basically from the middle of my thigh to lower part of my shin is just all prosthetic knee joints now.”

Austin’s mother, Carla Lizana, tells News 25 she felt helpless as she watched her son suffer as he went through treatments, but with the help from Austin’s positive attitude she was able to stay hopeful. “Hurry up and get that little bowl so he can be sick and after he was sick, he was like ok I’m good. It was smiles still. I was like, how are you doing this kid?”

With strong faith, family, and friend support, Austin kept a smile on his face, looking forward to better days as he stayed in the hospital for six months. “Through surgeries and treatment, one thing that just kept pressing on my mind is you can either be down about it or you can choose joy. So, I just choose to walk in the joy of the Lord instead of letting all that drag me down.”

Austin is now a senior at Mississippi State University studying mechanical engineering. He hopes to land a job on the Gulf Coast after graduation and find time to give back and bring more awareness to cancer as others did for him in the past.