JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – With the help of the Sulzbacher Center, a homeless Jacksonville man has beaten his cancer and is trying to get back into the workplace.
Thomas Lewis learned he had malignant tumors on his face in 2010. That same year, he lost his job and home.
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"I've never known anyone to be homeless," Lewis said. "I've never known anyone to ask for help. I worked my whole life and never had a problem with it."
Lewis paid for as much cancer treatment as he could afford, but it wasn't enough. Then, in January 2011, Lewis turned to the Sulzbacher Center for help. He immediately began treatment and has since gone through radiation and two surgeries. Lewis is now on the road to recovery.
Since the start of his treatment, Lewis has been staying at the guest center at St. Vincent's Hospital in Riverside. Lewis said he will be featured at "Transformations," the Sulzbacher Center's annual fundraiser at the Hyatt Hotel on Oct. 6.
Once Lewis is released from the hospital, he said he hopes to walk back into the workplace.
"I'm gonna start pounding the pavement, and get out there, and get a job," Lewis said.
It will be a few weeks before Lewis learns whether or not he will cleared to go back to work. He said he is already looking into getting student loans and hopes to earn a degree from the Tulsa Welding School.