Sarasota student: Surround yourself with the people you want to be like
After pandemic restrictions began to ease in Florida and Disney’s Magic Kingdom reopened, Tristan Asfur was eager to revisit his favorite theme park. A social person who had left Sarasota Christian School to attend the much larger Sarasota High School, he relished the chance in October of 2020 to feel as if life was returning to normal.
The next day, though, when he came down with a fever, he feared that he’d contracted COVID. It was the last week of his first quarter at Sarasota High, and he didn’t want to miss school; but if he had COVID, he didn’t want to spread it either. He convinced his mom to take him to Sarasota Memorial Hospital for a rapid test.
The test came back negative, but he showed a doctor a rash on his leg, which turned out to be petechiae, bleeding under the skin associated with a form of leukemia.
Tristan remembers the feeling in his chest when he heard the word “leukemia.” As he sat with his mom, he wanted to cry but didn’t, because he knew if he did, she would too.
Within an hour, Tristan was transferred to John Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, where he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and spent the first two weeks in the pediatric ICU. Then he was moved to the seventh floor of the south building, the oncology center.
For 42 days, he would stay at All Children’s Hospital, as isolated as ever. With COVID restrictions, he could only see his parents. School went on as he weathered tests and debilitating treatment. From a window, he would wave to his little sister, who would look so tiny in the sunlight, gazing up and waving back to him.
It was a difficult time, but Tristan remained positive. He remembers once when his mom was with him, and a service dog was on the floor. A dog would visit patients who were at the end of life. As he and his mom watched the dog enter a room, he took her hand and said, “I’m not going anywhere; that’s not going to happen to me.”
“I don’t know how I did it,” he said. “I just thought, this isn’t going to affect me for the rest of my life.”
It has helped to have a strong support network. Tristan has an especially close connection to his mom, and throughout his battle with cancer, she has been, as he said, “My rock.” He was born during a challenging time in her life and feels he was put on earth to be there for her, which has also helped him persist.
While he couldn’t physically be with them, his siblings and friends helped him through the isolation. One friend sent him a handwritten letter every day he was in the hospital. If a day or two passed without a letter, two or three would soon arrive in a bunch. The letters and all the love and support they symbolized made him feel much less alone.
Tristan is also grateful for his oncologist, who, he said, “Saved my life. Without her, I’m not sure I would be alive today.” He is grateful for the many nurses who helped him through so much.
In fact, as he nears high school graduation, he plans to pursue a career in nursing. “I want to be on the other side of where I am,” he said. Since first leaving the hospital three years ago, he has returned each month for treatment. “I see all the same nurses,” he said, “and I’ve gotten to know them, and it’s amazing.”
This year, at a job fair for Sarasota Memorial Hospital, he applied and was hired to be a Nutrition Attendant. He delivers food to patients and loves the job, loves talking to people and helping make their lives a little easier.
This February, Tristan learned that he was the recipient of a 2024 STRIVE Award, which recognizes high school juniors and seniors who overcome challenges to succeed. And on March 6, he and his mom made the hour-long drive to St. Petersburg, but it was different this time. It was his last chemotherapy treatment.
While Tristan sometimes wonders what might have happened had he not gone in for the COVID test, he prefers to focus on the positive. After 42 days of isolation, he left the hospital and soon after returned to the bustling school he loves and saw his friends again. While he had months of work to make up, his optimism was unwavering, and he knew he had the support of so many amazing people.
Tristan’s advice to students facing unexpected adversity: “Surround yourself with the people you want to be like and who will support you no matter what. Surround yourself with those people and don’t be afraid to go out and meet them.”
About the Education Foundation of Sarasota County & STRIVE Awards
For 35 years, the Education Foundation of Sarasota County (EdFoundationSRQ.org) has supported students and teachers because education transforms lives. As a champion for life readiness, the Education Foundation provides personalized, comprehensive resources and relationships so that students can find their purpose and progress intentionally through their K – 12 schooling. Its mission is to enhance the potential of students, promote excellence in teaching, and inspire innovation in education, guided by strategic philanthropy.
The STRIVE Awards were born out of H. Jack Hunkele’s vision to recognize students who have overcome tremendous challenges to succeed in life. Learn more about the STRIVE Awards and this year’s remarkable recipients at EdFoundationSRQ.org/STRIVE.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota student: Surround yourself with people you want to be like
