One year later, Joshua Rhodes is still beaming about his experience of a lifetime.
The 19-year-old cancer survivor and New York Giants fan, who was a former student at Marjory Stoneman Douglass High School in Parkland, Fla., met with RADIO.COM on a Coast Guard cutter in Miami last year to talk about his inspiring journey and what he's been through.
Little did Rhodes know that he would be given two tickets to the Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, which was presented to him by Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence.
"I had no idea Dexter Lawrence was going to be there," he said. "I thought it was just going to be me interviewing on a Coast Guard cutter. But when I turned around to see Dexter Lawrence there I was just in shock."
Rhodes, who aspired to join the Coast Guard, said that being taken to the ship was a surprise in and of itself, let alone everything else that followed.
"My mom says to me that, you know, we're going down for an interview and she didn't tell me where the interview was until we got to the place," he said. "And when I saw the Coast Guard cutter, I was like, I was just in shock. I was like, 'Oh my gosh,' I'm doing an interview. Not even that on a cast, on a Coast Guard cutter. And I wanted to go to the Coast Guard so bad. … everybody was so nice to me. I got to meet a couple of Coast Guard crew members. …I loved every moment of that. And it's just something that I know that it would always be a treasure in my heart."
The Super Bowl itself was a whole other experience for Rhodes, who had never been to a football game before.
"It was an experience that we thought that I would be once in a lifetime," he said. "They had all the football helmets around the stadium. So, we go on this big, long search trying to find a New York Giant helmet, and we eventually found it. … Everyone was laughing, having a great time…it was just the highest honor for me for my first football game would be a Super Bowl game."
In addition to getting the opportunity to watch the Super Bowl, Rhodes added that last year's halftime show with Jennifer Lopez and Shakira made the experience that much better.
"It was one of the greatest shows I've ever seen in my life," he said. "It was just the vibe, the sound, everything was perfect, everything was so nice and to see J.Lo and Shakira performing at the same time, the two salsa queens, that just blew my mind…I've never been to a concert like that before in my whole life."
While 2020 has been a trying year for many, Rhodes has been able to make the most of it. He was able to receive his high school diploma and while he always wanted to join the Coast Guard, he envisions a different path for himself: becoming a pediatrician.
"God gave me a change of heart. He told me to go into the medical field," Rhodes said. "It was also my mom, too. She was like, 'There's tons of ways to help people out instead of fighting.'"
Rhodes will be attending a community college in Florida for two years before hoping to continue his education at UCF.
He also shared some parting words of wisdom.
"No matter what happens in your future, no matter what happened in your past, just always stay positive," he said. "Stay happy. Only you could actually change your fate…if there's something that you want to do in your life, don't let nothing stand in your way. Not friends, not family, not medical….just pursue whatever it is that you want to do and not let anything hold you back."
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