Jonathan Iheke
When Jonathan Iheke graduated from Lake Highlands High School in 2012, he was the picture of health. He was a star safety for the Wildcat football team, and he won scholarships from both the Lake Highlands Women’s League and Exchange Club of Lake Highlands to attend Texas State University, where he earned a degree. Today, he’s fighting for his life after being diagnosed with Renal Medullary Carcinoma, an extremely rare and aggressive cancer.
“The journey ahead is tough on every level,” wrote cousins Monica Ogbonnaya and Amy Azih, who’ve set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for medical treatments and day-to-day expenses while Iheke is unable to work. “Anything you are able to give, or even sharing this page, will truly make a difference for him.”
The 32-year-old is engaged to be married and known for “his God-fearing presence, his sense of humor, and the way he pours into the people he cares about,” his cousins say. “He has always taken care of his health, lived a balanced lifestyle, and had no warning signs that anything was wrong. He is the guy who shows up for people, who puts God and family first, who always has a smile and who un-ironically posts motivating quotes because he is really always in that great of a mood.”
Iheke went to doctors after finding blood in his urine, and they first diagnosed him with a common type of kidney cancer. Further study, though, confirmed that his cancer is quite rare and primarily affects young African American males who carry the sickle cell trait.
Iheke is currently being treated by Texas Oncology with guidance from a specialist at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, and he’s had part of a kidney removed. The tumor continues growing and new spots have developed, and he recently spent a week in the hospital with complications. He began chemotherapy in December in hopes of shrinking the tumors enough for doctors to remove his kidney.
Iheke is interested in bringing awareness to this rare cancer, especially since it affects people who may not realize they are at risk. If you’d like to help, visit his GoFundMe page here.