UCLA applicant closes curtain on cancer

Demetrius Greene said he learned even cancer can be the catalyst
to make you stronger.

Greene had only completed his first year in college before a
rare form of Hodgkin’s disease, a type of cancer, caused him
to temporarily lose the use of his legs and left arm. Now after one
year of treatment, Greene is applying to UCLA as a transfer student
to pursue theater.

Greene had always liked acting, but started at UC Santa Cruz as
a chemical engineering student. His mother, Gwendolyn Jones Bephel,
said she was a little taken aback when he said he wanted to be an
actor, but she said, “even Denzel had to start
somewhere.”

As a San Diego native, UCSC offered him the chance to be
independent of his family. Now UCLA offers a renowned theater
program and the closeness to family Greene has come to
appreciate.

After a car accident in February 2004, Greene started to
experience back pain that was not helped by chiropractors.

“The pain in my back moved around ““ it never stayed
in one place. … I couldn’t pick up a cup or turn the
doorknob with my left hand,” Greene said.

By July the pain in his back was joined by numbness in his legs,
leaving him unable to move them.

After being rushed to the hospital, Greene was told he had a
tumor in his spine. Greene had a form of Hodgkin’s disease
which had penetrated his spine, rather than showing up in his lymph
nodes, which is more common.

Hodgkin’s disease is most commonly diagnosed in early
adulthood, from ages 15 to 40, or late adulthood, after age 55.
Because of advances in treatment, death rates have fallen more than
60 percent since the early 1970s, according to the American Cancer
Society.

Greene’s friends and coworkers in Santa Cruz were shocked
when they found out what was wrong with him.

“Demetrius always had a good energy to be around. None of
us even knew anyone our age that had cancer,” said Mimosa
Andre, friend and stage manager for some of Greene’s plays at
UCSC.

A contrast X-ray showed that a tumor had spider-webbed from the
top of his spine near the skull to his tailbone. The tumor was
pinching the nerves to Greene’s legs, and immediate surgery
was needed if he was to walk again.

The emergency surgery removed as much of the tumor as possible
and was followed by three months of chemotherapy and two more
months of radiation. During the recovery from the surgery before
beginning chemotherapy, Greene worked on rehabilitating his
legs.

“I don’t know how it happened, but it was like my
nerves forgot how to work my legs while they were smashed by the
tumor. I basically had to learn how to walk again. My body just
didn’t remember,” Greene said.

After the surgery he had a scar down his back, but kept hopeful,
Bephel said.

“He was always upbeat. He was a giggler. Most men
don’t do that. … The nurses just loved him,” Bephel
said.

Greene’s positive attitude also helped his family and
friends.

“It’s always a shock when someone so young is
diagnosed with what could be a terminal illness. It really made me
want to be a better friend,” said Raynell Crews,
Greene’s best friend and a sociology student at UC
Berkeley.

Throughout treatment, Greene struggled with more than the
physical aspects of the illness. “I was having some mental
issues because of my body image issues. On top of it all, I
couldn’t walk,” he said.

He also lost weight because of the medications he was taking.
But Greene said his faith was an anchor.

“I felt really confident, I felt that God had a plan for
me,” he said.

By June 2005, he had completed his cycles of chemotherapy and
radiation and focused solely on physical therapy. Soon he was
walking better and doctors deemed his cancer in remission.

“So many great things came from this. I really count this
as a blessing. In fact, I was scared about acting before. I was
shy. … But after cancer there’s not too much that could
scare you,” he said.

“I’ve learned everybody goes though something that
seems difficult. To me that is just the beginning, because it will
only make you stronger.”