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Anthony Daniels book called "The Fight" sheds light on his journey of broken dreams and having hope while fighting the 12-year battle.
As a child, Daniels dreamed of becoming a professional athlete. He was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma when he was just 19 years old. After thousands of hours of chemotherapy and his cancer returning five times, Anthony has relapsed again and is now fighting his sixth battle.
Despite grueling treatments, Anthony chooses to be strong, and trains daily as a competitive boxer.
His newly released memoir, "The Fight," documents his journey battling in the biggest competition of his life as well as his work to register more blood stem cell donors with DKMS, the world’s largest blood stem cell donor center.
Anthony has inspired countless individuals to sign up with DKMS as blood stem cell donors but is still searching for his perfect match. By sharing his story of unyielding resilience and strength, Anthony hopes to raise awareness of the critical need for more blood stem cell donors and find his own lifesaver.
Daily Voice asked Anthony a few more questions.
Q. How do you stay positive/motivated?
A: The most powerful thing when you’re going through something or facing adversity is hope. By being positive you’re being hopeful — hope is what gets you through the day and what makes you very strong. With each time I face death, it’s made me want to live that much more. And it’s . . .my loved ones that keep me motivated. I don’t just live for myself; I live for those I care about.
Q. How does boxing help you?
A. With boxing, when you fight, you find out the kind of person that you are. Boxing helped me push through the pain and suffering; be better than the day before no matter how sick I was. It taught me how to take ownership for successes and failures. It proved to me that you could do way more than you thought you could. Lastly, it taught me how to feel alive when I was dying and how to fight for my life better.
Q. If there is one thing you hope people take away from your book, what is that?
A: I don’t think I can select just one thing from my book that I want people to take away. I want people to be inspired and have hope after they read my book. I want them to remember that you can be happy even after facing adversity.
Q: Anything else you’d like to include?
A. DKMS has been a huge supporter over my 12-year battle with cancer. Early on in my journey, one of the most difficult things I faced was not being able to find the lifesaving match I needed. Luckily, through other forms of treatment, I’ve been able to stabilize my cancer, but the feeling of knowing a solution is out there and simply being unable to find it still haunts me. That’s why I’m advocating for people to register, whether it’s for patients like myself or the thousands currently in need so that the day they find out they need a donor one is ready, available, and willing. It’s the most selfless act that someone can do in their life, which starts with just a simple swab. If you wish to be a potential donor and help save a life, visit DKMS.org.
Click here to order "The Fight" from Bookends Bookstore in Ridgewood.
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