Eliel’s Story: A Renewed Sense of Life
At the end of 2014, Eliel went to his doctor for some pain that he suspected was the result of heavy lifting—but the diagnosis carried far more weight. Eliel had testicular cancer, and doctors urged him to have surgery right away.
“I hadn’t done any research or even talked about testicular cancer, so I learned a lot, obviously, while I was going through it,” said Eliel, who also endured several treatments of chemotherapy that caused a high fever and sent him to the hospital for a week. “It prompted me to think there’s not enough awareness out there for guys when it comes to cancer.”
Cancer in the body often mimics the chain reaction that occurs in a patient’s life—it’s not just the illness that causes disruption. Eliel requested a short leave from his career as a director for a supply chain company, a job that he loved, to take care of his health. When he was ready to return, the company had decided to eliminate his role.
“That was devastating—it was so unfair,” he said. “I had gone through all this treatment, and emotionally it was also really tough to deal with my anxiety, thinking the worst would happen. It was a tough time, I started getting pretty depressed, and it was tough on my family too because I wasn’t there like I used to be.
“It was just one bad thing after another happening. I know he was trying his best because I could feel it – but it wasn’t genuine, he wasn’t truly enjoying life. It was hard on everybody,” explains Eliel’s wife, Luisa Salazar.
“It’s a combination of things. As a man, when you lose testicles, that’s such a big deal, right? Just losing part of your body. I think that definitely impacted me emotionally,” Eliel said. “I got tired a lot, started gaining weight. That’s the worst part—it’s tough on family because I used to be active with the kids, and I didn’t really have any energy to do anything with them.”
Eliel knew he needed to find a way to dig himself back out of the massive hole that cancer had created in his life. He began to search for a solution, and he stumbled across A Fresh Chapter (AFC).
India 2016
In 2016, Eliel traveled with AFC to India, a country that had always interested him for its culture and spirituality. “I like to travel, and I like to volunteer, so I found something centered around what I’m passionate about.”
Getting there wasn’t easy, as Eliel hated the idea of fundraising—it meant opening up and talking about a very personal experience with lots of people.
“Men really don’t like to talk about their health, and they don’t like to share. Even with their doctors, men don’t want to say, ‘Hey, check me for this, check me for that.’ They just rarely want to go to the doctor.”
While it’s a stereotype that Latino men are perceived as “machismo,” Eliel said there is some cultural influence to try to portray a stronger presence. For Latino men, this means that speaking about their health issues might make them seem weak and vulnerable. “I think this is why it’s important for more men to see other men speak up.” Not just public figures—but individual “regular” guys to help dispel the sense of fear about speaking up and allow others to risk showing vulnerability. “In this case, it was important to tell my story, because one of the things that was pulling me down was I wasn’t sharing it with anyone,” he said. “When I started saying, ‘Here’s what I’m doing and why I need to do this,’ everybody really wanted to help.”
Plus, he learned that talking about his story was key to beginning his healing process. “I thought, okay, this is where it starts. If I want to change, if I want to be better for myself and for my family, I’ve got to start with that. From there, everything else started to fall in place.”
Once in India, Eliel, a father of five, volunteered at a school in New Delhi, spending time with kids who showed him the power of gratitude. “They were always so happy and so grateful for just the simplest thing—for a pencil that had an eraser. That was, for them, Christmas.”
Another powerful impact was spending time with the rest of the AFC tribe, hearing their stories and being able to talk more about his experience with people he knew would understand.
“There was a point when I felt like I deserved to get cancer, so the mind starts going to very dark places. When I was in India, I was able to share that and get that out of my system. You’re in a group of people where you feel safe, no judgment. So it was a real special bond with everyone there in that tribe.”
A fresh perspective
Upon his return home, Eliel committed to starting a true fresh chapter in his own life, for himself and his family.
“I used to worry a lot about things that I couldn’t control. I don’t worry about that as much—I try to live the moment, to be present. In India, I gained a whole perspective of my life and priorities and what’s really important, and that really changed me.”
The impact of interacting with people from very different backgrounds helped him contextualize his struggle. “Seeing these kids over there and how happy they are and how they are not focused on material things” really hit him in the fact that there’s more out there than having a nice car or high-end clothes. He realized he could be happy without those things.
“I haven’t felt depressed in a very long time. I try not to give weight to negative thoughts that used to be there. I think they were there before cancer and just got worse. So that was a big change, a change in my life for sure.”
Upon return, Eliel also embarked on a new pathway in his career. Working as a consultant to get himself back into the rhythm of work, new opportunities quickly opened up when his wife was offered a job in Charlotte, North Carolina—and just a few months later, a headhunter called Eliel about a new logistics role at a technology company. He’s been working there since the end of 2016.
Eliel received a scholarship through the Melissa Carroll Legacy Fund for his trip to India, and his Ripple Impact Action Plan—a commitment each scholarship recipient makes—has been to serve as an ambassador for potential new volunteers during the selection process.
“I talk to people that are really scared to go on their trip and they don’t know what to expect. I tell them my story,” he said. “I hope through A Fresh Chapter there’s lots of opportunities to have other men hear my story, and know that it’s okay to kind of open up and open up and seek support or to find their own fresh chapter as well.”
*See more about Eliel’s story on A Fresh Chapter’s website here: https://afreshchapter.com/our-impact/ripple-impact/
