Rose basketball highlights
Hudson recalls hard times
FRI. | 04-29-22 | FEATURES
Hope can be hard to maintain, especially when going through hard times. Rose senior Kemper Hudson has had to learn this skill, due to his battle with cancer.
Hudson has fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma, a rare type of liver cancer. According to the Fibrolamellar Cancer Foundation, the disease typically occurs in younger patients who have no history of liver disease, making it difficult to detect.
“I was [originally] diagnosed [on] March 3, 2019,” Hudson said. “I remember [feeling] very scared.”
Despite the negative feelings Hudson was experiencing, he still continued to be positive.
“I would try my best to stay positive and just push past the hard times, because I knew it was going to get better,” Hudson said.
With his type of cancer being so rare, finding the right doctors has proven difficult for Hudson and his family.
“It has been a lot [because] I have had a lot of doctors tell me ‘no’ to different treatments and surgeries,” Hudson said. “With the doctor situation, we just had to keep pushing because eventually we found someone to do it.”
Luckily, Hudson has found the right team of doctors up the East Coast.
“All of my doctors, people at Vidant, Duke, New York Presbyterian and Ross University [School of Medicine] in Chicago, have all been very supportive,” Hudson said. “They
Contributed photo
come together to talk about my specific case every couple of months.”
Having that extra support around him has been important for Hudson, as he has faced some struggles socially.
“Some of my best friends just quit talking to me,” Hudson said. “It has been rough and it really buries.”
However, in the time Hudson spent at home, he discovered a newfound comfort in his family, particularly in his mom.
“I really wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for [my mom],” Hudson said. “She has been amazing through this.”
Hudson has taken the support he has from his mother and used that to achieve a more hopeful mindset.
“I try not to even think about the bad things,” Hudson said. “I used to go by this motto, ‘you can’t have good days without having bad days,’and I would live by that.”
Hudson finds happiness through other outlets as well.
“I ride BMX and was serious about it a few years ago, [but] stuff happened, so now I just do it for fun,” Hudson said. “Riding my bike and hanging out with family is where all my joy comes from now.”
Working has also become a place for Hudson to escape. He enjoys the people he works with and the job has influenced him in his aspirations for the future.
“One day I hope to start my own business and be successful,” Hudson said.
Overall, Hudson has done his best with the cards he has been dealt and stays positive through it. He offers a word of advice for his peers at the same time.
“Don’t let people bring you down,” Hudson said. “It is going to happen, especially with teenagers, but keep looking forward and focus on what you want and it will eventually come to you.”
