By Evan Wechman

Dervin Walker of Morristown is no stranger to adversity.  He came to the United States when he was just 17 years old to stay with a family member, he did not anything about.  He missed his siblings and immediate family back home. But he learned to adjust.

Years later, in 2019 he was diagnosed with cancer which came close to taking Walker’s life. However, he beat cancer too.  After his battle with this disease, he wrote an autobiography titled “There’s Always a Light,” which was recently published and has garnered great reviews.

Walker’s cancer was life threatening as it was a sarcoma, a rare type of cancer in his abdominal wall which eventually needed to be cut out.

Walker who is also a songwriter, has a knack for telling relatable stories and this book explains far more than his battle with cancer.  He explains how he got locked up in jail for selling drugs as well as his immigration issues. Despite all these problems, he wants to share his prescription for overcoming life’s obstacles.

Walker said “I would want my readers to know the book is about never giving up, life is going to be life. Life is going to be filled with stuff that’s going to happen. As long as you’re alive, there’s going to be good and bad. There’s going to be stuff that happens. It’s a journey. You’ve got to always keep pressing on. That’s my main message. Don’t feel like you’re alone, because a lot of stuff that I was going through nobody knew. You might see me and you don’t know what I’m going through. That’s how I looked at everybody else. You never know what another person is going through. You’re not alone.”

Walker who was treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York City did have doubts at times regarding whether he was going to live or not.  Walker who grew up in a home where his parents were very involved in a Christian Church, believes in the power of God.

However, he also credits the doctors for their wisdom.  Walker was told from the beginning of his treatment to minimize stress, as that would only hamper his recovery. He therefore kept a sharp focus on recovery, minimized the stressful negative thoughts, and even participated in physical exercise. 

Though he kept stress to a minimum, he also did have moments when he feared he would not survive and being a father of two children he wanted to leave something for his kids.  

“When I was in the hospital, when I was laying on the bed, I already know what I was facing that it’s possible that I might not make it. So, at that moment a lot of stuff was going through my mind like what a funeral would be like, and I’m thinking of people going up and talking about me, so that’s where it all comes from. And I said to myself, you know what, no one knows who I am. If I should pass away, nobody knows who I am. I thought to myself, if I live, if I get a chance to write a book, I’m going to write everything, especially for my kids,” said Walker.

His children, a son and a daughter both in their early 20s are extremely proud of their father for both overcoming all his adversities and telling the world about it.  They are also quick to help him with any marketing support for the book as well.

The author wants to help as many people as possible and is in discussions with local hospitals to do just that.  He would love to share his message of hope with any patients struggling with an illness who are somewhat discouraged, due to all the negativity they see in the world every day. He is hoping to share the good that is in society with others and be a positive light for them.  He also wants to help people destress because according to him, “when we stress, once you start it just gets worse and worse and worse.”

Walker is aware there is bad things that happen every day but loves people. He said “at the end of the day, what I want people to know is that I was always about humanity, I was always about people. It was always about love.”

His book can be found online at Amazon.com. 

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