‘Just the Beginning’: Cancer Patient Gets Diploma at Hospital

The auditorium at UCI Medical Center is not normally the setting for a commencement, but Buena Park High School students gathered there Thursday, along with school and hospital officials, to honor a young man who has held on to his dreams despite a life-threatening illness.

Hendryck Mejia, who sported a green cap and gown in keeping with the occasion, was the star attraction in the special ceremony--the lone graduate.

About 150 friends and relatives watched as the usually cheerful senior strolled down the aisle to a stage where he added a pair of green-mirrored eyeshades to his outfit and received his high school diploma.

The auditorium, decorated with streamers cascading down from dozens of balloons, took on the festive mood of a rite of passage. And though there was no band--only a record player--to provide the strains of “Pomp and Circumstance,” the anticipation of a graduate moving on to new challenges was in the air.

“This is just the beginning,” the 18-year-old graduate shouted to well-wishers with the same optimism that has helped him weather a 6-year battle with leukemia.

“Wipe those tears from your eyes,” he told them as they showered him with hugs, kisses and gifts after the 20-minute ceremony.

Despite his struggles with cancer--or maybe even because of them--Mejia hopes to become a physician and someday find a cure for the disease that may claim his life.

Officials with the medical center in Orange presented him with a white lab coat and an honorary degree in medicine on Thursday as a “head start.”

The special ceremony was arranged by hospital and school officials because Mejia will be undergoing an intense round of chemotherapy today and is not expected to regain his strength by June 15, the official graduation date for his high school.

Principal George Giokaris said Mejia had already met all graduation requirements and that Thursday’s ceremony was the school’s response to “an extremely special circumstance.”

At the commencement, Giokaris, like others, praised Mejia for his strength and the lessons he had taught others.

“You’ve taught us to nurture friendships and to make sure each interaction is meaningful,” the principal said.