Brian Gomez, the second-year College student who passed away last month after a year-long battle with a rare form of cancer, told his girlfriend, Morgan Watts, a line that has stuck with her ever since, as the two of them waited in a hospital while her sister underwent open heart surgery.
"Life is like no limit," he said. "Sometimes you have to put all the chips on the line and have faith."
Gomez, who had known Watts since seventh grade, was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma in August 2009 and decided to take a year off from classes at the University to undergo treatment. He returned to the University to complete his second year this fall before succumbing to the disease Oct. 13.
"He had a passion for living," said Jonathan Heins, a high-school friend of Gomez. "He was determined to live, no matter what happened. Even when things were bad, he never lost his faith."
Facing enormous odds with incredible strength was nothing new to Gomez. Early on in his life, he had to overcome a terrible tragedy, his mother, Adriana Mariscal, said in an interview. When he was 4 years old, his family was involved in a car accident that took the lives of his younger sister and father.
"All of a sudden, our world changed," Mariscal explained. "But Brian took everything very maturely. He asked me why I was depressed and said, 'God loves you.' I was the one who was supposed to be giving him guidance, but he was doing that for me."
He was the first in his family to attend college in the United States and wanted to study international relations and economics, Mariscal said.
"We were so happy for him and surprised in a nice way," she said of her son's acceptance to the University. "But I knew in my heart he would be [accepted]."
Assoc. Astronomy Prof. Edward Murphy, who taught Brian and also was his academic adviser, remembered Brian as a joy to have in class.
"He always came to class with a smile," Murphy said.
Gomez is also remembered by former teachers and friends as a student with great promise.
"He was a very ambitious and sophisticated student," said Jennifer Chang, Brian's former English instructor. "He was invested in his education and possessed remarkable potential. I knew he would go far."
After graduation, Brian hoped to attend law school and one day work for the United Nations. Because of his interest in international relations, Brian was heavily involved with the International Relations Organization, a contracted independent organization at the University. One of his happiest moments was when he was selected to be Director-General of Virginia International Crisis Simulation his first year, Mariscal said.
Watts' sister underwent surgery shortly after Gomez was diagnosed with cancer last year. Gomez, Watts said, provided support as she and her family waited through the duration of the nine-hour operation.
"We weren't sure if she was going to make it or not," Watts said. "Brian was so inspirational to me because, despite everything that he was going through, which was often chemotherapy five times a week, he was there to support me and my sister."
He also faced the future with optimism. Before his diagnosis, he had been active with Relay For Life, an organization that raises money for cancer awareness. He planned to start a team of his own at the University to raise money for the effort and also planned to go on a mission trip to Mexico, Watts said.
In addition to his interest in international relations and volunteer work, Gomez was a talented musician, his mother said. He wrote songs, one dedicated to his sister who had died in the car accident.
"Brian chose not to let his diagnosis limit him," Watts said. "He had cancer, but cancer didn't have him"
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