Mahwah Man Beat Cancer As A Teen. Now He Wants To Heal Others.

MAHWAH, NJ — Tim Malone was ready to die.

He did not know why he was infected with Hodgkin's Lymphoma in 2010. But he knew there was a greater purpose behind it.

"I thought God made me get this for some reason," Malone said. "If it was to survive and become an advocate or if it was to pass on from the disease and use my body for research. Whatever it was, there was some sort of plan for this."

Malone fought through five months of chemotherapy and four months of radiation treatments during his sophomore year at Paramus Catholic High School.

"Going through treatment made me hate hospitals. I got tired of doing it and I got tired of doctors," Malone said.

Malone was declared cancer free in September 2010. Now he is studying to become a doctor.

Malone enrolled in the medical doctorate program at St. George's University in January. He received a CityDoctors scholarship on behalf of Hackensack University Medical Center that will cover four years of tuition. Malone will study for two years at St. George's. Then he will train at HackensackUMC to see what area of medicine he wants to pursue. Pediatric oncology is a strong possibility.

"I know what it was like being a kid going through a cancer diagnosis," Malone said. "I can easily empathize with them because I've gone through the process. When you tell someone you want to go into pediatric oncology, they say that must be so depressing. But for me it isn't."

Malone has helped cancer patients since he was a teenager. He has spoken at Relay For Life fundraisers at more than 1,000 people at Liberty State Park through the Tomorrow's Children Fund.

"Everybody knows someone who has been touched by cancer, but you don't really understand what it's like until you go through it yourself," Malone previously said. "Having cancer gives you a whole new perspective. So does beating it."

Malone's journey from Paramus Catholic to St. George's was not immediate.

He studied music education at William Paterson University on a scholarship, but did not fall in love with it. So he picked up a biology minor and took all the prerequisites for medical school.

Malone then continued a family tradition and became an emergency medical technician in Mahwah. Members of his family have either served as firefighters or emergency medical technicians for 55 years.

When asked about her son and his accomplishments, Maryann Malone choked back tears.

"Amazing, just amazing," she said. "He just took everything as it came. If he had to, he would fight cancer again and win. Me, his father, and his brother, Tyler are so proud of him."

Related:

• Teen Cancer Survivor Relays To "Pay It Forward"
• Teen Cancer Survivor To Help Others Battling Disease

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com