Photo By Sgt. Alvin Conley | U.S. Army Sgt. Maj. Santantoniano Smith, a Command Career Counselor assigned to...... read more read more
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Imagine waking up with gut wrenching pains, cold sweats and barely enough energy to make it out of bed. Sitting next to the bathroom toilet, violently throwing up stomach contents and acid repeatedly, draining the remaining energy. Thinking, ‘This is it, I’m done,’ until a beacon of hope in the form of two small children appear to help with recovery by bringing cold towels, time and love. This was just one of many similar mornings for U.S. Army Sgt. Maj. Santantoniano Smith during his battle with cancer.
After being diagnosed in 2008, the current 1st Infantry Division Command Career Counselor said that while battling to increase not only his physical strength, but his mental strength as well, he’d use his family as his main source of resiliency.
“Chemo was harsh, and there were days I’d wake up and not want to go back,” Smith said. “But then, I would look at my Family and I just couldn’t imagine letting them down like that.”
Given a negative prognosis after being told by medical providers that the spreading would be hard to control, Smith said that he had been forced to think about death for one of the first times in life.
“There’s always a setback in life, and anytime I had a setback I would look into my kids’ eyes because in my mind I can’t let them down,” he said. “They need their dad, and I can’t imagine my life without my children.”
Smith also credited the Army as being a key factor in his battle with cancer. Speaking with other patients at hospitals, Smith said that it was common for him to hear how some patients had lost their jobs due to their health and he realized that the Army had always been there for him.
“The job saved my life,” he said. “I continued to work throughout my chemotherapies and surgeries; it gave me a sense of value. I love being around Soldiers and I wake up in the morning excited about work.”
Now cancer-free and with over 22 years of military service, Smith said that he still uses Family and the Army as his sources of strength.
“When you hang up the uniform for the last time you’re left with two things,” he said. “The people that you’ve influenced while wearing the uniform, and family.”
| Date Taken: | 02.08.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 02.08.2022 14:58 |
| Story ID: | 414277 |
| Location: | FORT RILEY, KANSAS, US |
| Web Views: | 62 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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