Student survives rare cancer, keeps on trackUniversity of Rhode Island student Jeremy Costa is part of medical history. Last summer, instead of doing a prized internship in New Jersey as he had planned, the 20-year-old battled a rare form of cancer.
Called dermatosibrosarcoma protuberans, only five cases of the cancer that settles into the muscle tissue have been documented. Usually found in the trunk of the body, Costa’s cancer was in his scalp. It’s the first time, to Costa’s knowledge, that this type of cancer appeared there. A team of 27 doctors came to Rhode Island to review and document his unique case.
“It’s sort of like winning the lottery,” said Costa, not unaware of the irony.
The student mentioned the lump on his head to his mother when he went home for Thanksgiving a year ago. When the lump was still there at Christmas, he was sent off to the doctor.
After a dermatologist removed what was first deemed a cyst last February, five complex operations followed. His parents, Denise and Lawrence, and sister Marisa were his biggest cheerleaders. And he was moved by the kindness from the community, neighbors, friends, businesses, and schools who gave encouragement and often held fundraisers to help with the skyrocketing medical bills.
Since his return in the fall, Costa hasn’t missed a day of school and his ordeal hasn’t affected his grades. “If anything, I’m trying harder this semester,” said the accounting and political science major. “I can’t let it be an excuse for me. I have to keep that standard for myself or I won’t get into a good law school.”
Costa added with a grin: “If my high school teachers could only hear me now. They wouldn’t believe it. I’m like two different people,” said the straight-A student.
Costa now works part time for URI’s Facilities Services department, and every afternoon he’s a man on the run — trying to reclaim a position on the University’s track team. “I’m not quite there yet,” he said. “I have to earn my spot back, which isn’t easy, but I’ll appreciate it that much more.”
Back on track and focused on his studies, Costa has put his ordeal nearly behind him. The worst, he says, is over. “I don’t have a dark outlook on life,” he said. “I’ve experienced how kind people can be. I’ve seen so much generosity.
“Many of my classmates are worried since the events of September 11. I’m not. I hope to study in Italy next year and I’m not afraid to fly,” he said with a soft smile. “I’m really into probability now. The odds are definitely in my favor. I mean, what are the chances of something happening to me again?”
By Jan Wenzel
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