I woke up on Saturday morning, checked my instagram and saw that Chadwick Boseman was dead. This shocked me. I didn't want to believe it was true, I was was thinking to myself "how can Chadwick be dead?". I saw that he died of cancer and he was battling with this for 4 years. Cancer really hits home for me, multiple family members of mine and family friends have died from cancer. I remember a few years ago visiting a family friend at hospital (who had cancer). He was on his deathbed and I couldn't stop crying seeing him in that state. I felt helpless, a couple days later he was dead.
Another time, a close family member was diagnosed with cancer. I was there when the Doctor diagnosed them. I attended every hospital appointment with them. I was there during their chemotherapy sessions, I was there when they had surgery, I was there when they had to do multiple tests. I saw first hand the effect chemotherapy had on their body. It is the chemo that causes hair loss (from all parts of your body), it causes a loss of appetite, your tastebuds aren't effective, this leads to significant weight loss. It makes you extremely weak. The reason being that chemo kills the bad cells and good cells in your body, as it can not differentiate between the two. Thankfully that family member recovered after some time.
Chadwick was diagnosed with cancer in 2016. That year (at age 26) I found a lump on my body. I was scared and was thinking the worst. I informed my GP who immediately referred me to the hospital. I was referred to the same cancer department that I had previously attended with my family member that had cancer. I saw the same Doctor who diagnosed my family member. I had multiple hospital appointments, saw multiple Doctors/Consultants, I had to have biopsies and multiple tests. Thankfully in the end it turned out not to be cancer and I had an operation to remove that lump. This was a huge health scare for me (this is why I take my health and fitness so seriously). Last year I mourned the death of my uncle who died from cancer.
Chadwick dying from cancer brought up all these memories for me. I was surprised that he still managed to do multiple films back to back (while playing the lead character) while having cancer. Knowing personally the affect of chemo I didn't understand how he could have physically performed those roles as he would have been extremely weak and in a lot of pain, plus the mental toll it would have had on him, knowing that there is a possibility he may die from it. Despite this he still gave his all. He played the roles of legendary black people, In '42' he played Jackie Robinson, the first black person to play in major league baseball. He played the role of the singer James Brown aka the Godfather of Soul in 'Get on up'. He played "Thurgood Marshall", the first black supreme Court Justice in the film 'Marshall'. This film showed the early years of Marshall's life as a lawyer, I took an interest in this film as I am a black lawyer myself. Thurgood Marshall won the infamous Brown v Board of Education case which allowed the desegregation of schools across America.
The biggest role that Chadwick played was the first black superhero, T'challa aka Black panther. Two years ago my friend took me to watch the film on the day it was released. I was so excited to see it. You can click here to read my post about it. Chadwick was a great actor and nobody could tell that he was sick. He persevered through his pain. He had every reason and excuse to not film or to not give a good performance, but he didn't. This shows extreme strength, courage and determination. This made me realise that in life if we persevere and are very determined to achieve, we can. We should not allow excuses to stop us from achieving our goals. Chadwick knew he had a greater purpose on earth, he touched the lives of millions of people worldwide. He became a hero and role model to many. People became proud to be black, people became proud to be African, this was a huge cultural shift amongst Africans and those in the diaspora. During his pain he still attended hospitals to see children with cancer, whilst battling it himself.
What did upset me was the livestream he did (where it was evident he had lost considerable weight) talking about donating money to help with the COVID-19 relief efforts, there were idiots who were making fun of him. People can be so negative! That is why I am always kind to people as you never know the battles people are going through behind closed doors. People wonder why he never told anyone, but I don't blame him, I would have probably done the same in his situation. Sometimes you don't want pity or to be constantly reminded about what you are going through. You don't want to be a victim. When you are around people who don't know what is going on you forget your struggles and it takes your mind off it.
In life we all go through hardships, difficulties and pain, but we shouldn't allow this to stop us from achieving our goals. I believe that we all have a purpose on earth. One day we are going to leave this earth. I would rather die knowing that I have achieved my goals and touched/changed the lives of people, than die without accomplishing anything. Rest in Power Chadwick, you have left a Powerful Legacy here on earth. Thank you for all you have done for us, you are with the ancestors now. Wakanda Forever
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