Desert View student overcomes brain tumor
 Linda Seeger Salazar, The Arizona Daily Star Desert View senior Joshua Cox has makeup applied for his part in a Simon Peter play at the Tucson Convention Center Music Hall. |
By Ki Young Kim
Special to The Arizona Daily Star
Imagine being diagnosed with a brain tumor the size of a golf ball.
Now imagine being 17 years old and having your life change in a flash.
Joshua Cox, a senior at Desert View High School, has faced this scenario.
In the beginning of the first semester of his junior year, Cox was not feeling well. He was experiencing partial paralysis of the right side of his body.
A visit to the doctor confirmed the seriousness of his condition. He was informed that he would have to undergo surgery to remove a tumor in his brain.
After successful surgery, he returned to school at the beginning of the spring semester of his junior year.
Cox was still plagued by partial paralysis and began months of physical therapy.
He was faced with many challenges and disappointments during his recovery, but he also received support from his family and friends.
Cox said that they "worried a lot more than I had anticipated."
Due to the effects of the tumor and surgery on his right side, Cox had to learn to write and draw with his left hand. After three months, he was able to write legibly.
He also started swimming and playing tennis, though he was no longer able to play basketball, his first love.
Before the surgery, he had always dreamed of playing in the NBA, but now his goals are taking a new path.
He wants to become an engineer because he loves to draw and
excels in math.
"Life didn't go as I had planned. Everything changed after
the surgery," Cox said. "Now I think of things in
advance to enjoy them even more."
Cox is taking four AP classes and is involved in drama, the Mexican American Student Association, Simon Peter Productions, and he works at Craycroft Elementary School as an aide. He was tutored after surgery and will graduate with his original class.
Marsha Coyle, a family friend says of Cox, "This young man's life changed dramatically, but he has never lost his positive attitude, determination, or his sense of humor. It has been 15 months since his surgery and he has hardly missed a beat. I feel he is a true achiever, both in his senior class and in life."
Ki Young Kim is a senior at Sahuarita High School.