00. 0 • • 00• • 00••00• • 00• • 0 . 00• • 00• • 0.0• • . 0 . 000. 00. 00 .00. 000. 0 .00. 000. 0 . 00 0 • • 0.0 . 0 •• O. 0.0 • • O. 0.0 • .0 • 00 0 • • • 00 • • • 0 00 • • • 0 0 00 • 0 • 0 0 O . 0 0 • 0 • • Q • o Art adjunct overcomes cancer to achieves goals According to the American Cancer Society, more than 1.2 million 'U people were diagnosed with some form ofcancer by2000 (www. cancer.org). The ACS Web site listed many support groups and organizations for those struggling with different forms ofcancer. Some groups, like the Well ness Community, had thousands of members who suffered from specific types of cancer. However, for Adjunct Art Professor Tim Cox, one of only 13 people in the world (0 be diagnosed with Gangliolioma, the support group was considerably smaller. Cox was first diagnosed with spinal cancer when he was 12 years old. After a short remission, his cancer came back two years later as Gangliolioma and spread up his spinal column. NO( only was he the 13th person to have this rare form of cancer, but he was also only the second to have it spread in the way it did. Because of the severity of the disease and treatment, Cox's leg was eventually amputated and he was confined to a wheelchair in 1986. Cox graduated from Harding in the late 80s and met his wife Erin there. Because his job as a government agency contractor allowed him to live anywhere in the country, Cox was able to move to Searcy years after graduating, where he and Erin became sponsors for the social clubs Knights and Chi Omega Pi. "Tim is passionate about God, devoted to his wife and an awesome leader," senior Knights member Kyle Arthur said. "He genuinely cares about his students and friends." In the fall, Cox and his wife adopted a little girl, Corban Lily Marie, and Cox said the students were a great help. Practicing in the Ganus Athletic Center Dec. 1, Tim Cox, adjunct professor of art and sponsor for Knights social club, plays racquetball. Cox, who began playing racquetball when he was 19, said he tried to play once a week with several different partners. -Amber Bazargani .....-.::116 leadership "Since I am a sponsor fot Knights, she was nominated as a queen but is still a little young, but they gave her a really nice swing," Cox said. "Erin is a sponsor for [Chi Omega p.n and they gave her a really nice baby shower." When he was nO( fulfilling his sponsor duries, Cox worked as an adjunct professor for the art department and taught a graphic design class. Senior Katherine Mitchell, who had Cox her sophomore year for computer graphics, said Cox was one of her favorite professors because of his positive outlook on life. "He has a great sense of humor," Mitchell said. "The first day ofclass he told us his story abom his cancer and then told the class that we could tell people whatever we wanted to about why he was in a wheelchair. He told us to just make the story more interesting, like that he got bit in the leg by a shark or something." Though his rare form of cancer slowed him down, Cox said it has nor kept him from achieving his goals, and he hoped those diagnosed with the same form of the disease in the future could be inspired and comforted by him. "My battle with cancer and then the leg amputation and being in a wheelchair is what has made me the person I am today," Cox said. "Spi ritually I had to take the reigns of my faith early on. I have a great family and an amazing wife (hat suppOrt me when I want it and push me forward when I need it. Physically I obviously can't walk, but the only limits I have found in my life are those put on me by someone else." -Brooke Light
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc5NA==