This browser does not support the Video element.
PHOENIX - For most high school seniors, walking across the graduation stage is the ultimate goal. But one Phoenix graduate had a much bigger victory to celebrate first.
Just hours before receiving his diploma, he rang the bell at Phoenix Children's Hospital, signaling he is officially cancer-free.
Omar Mendoza
What we know:
It was a busy day for 17-year-old Omar Mendoza. At 9 a.m. he was declared cancer-free. By 2 p.m. he was crossing the stage in his cap and gown. Two lifetime accomplishments captured in a matter of hours.
"I was feeling really happy that I could finally go out there and feel normal again," Mendoza said.
He is officially a Trevor G. Browne High School graduate. But more importantly, he is also officially cancer-free. A double triumph celebrating a future that, just months ago, his family feared he might not see.
"They told us he had two more tumors, and they were going to put him on chemo. I didn't know what was going to happen," said his mother, Brianda Verdugo.
Mendoza's high school experience was anything but ordinary.
"I wish I could experience prom and all that, but I didn't have time besides the chemo basically … No matter how many times I laid down and still got tired from the chemo, I still got up and still did my work. Even if it's hard, I still did it," he said.
His battle with cancer was a masterclass in courage and resilience taught by Mendoza himself.
"He showed me not to give up in life even though you have your bad days," said his father, Horacio Mendoza.
His mother added, "One time he told me, ‘Mom, I’m going to graduate. I’m not going to give up. I’m going to graduate.’ He did. The same time that he rang the bell, he graduated. We’re like, 'Oh my god, you did it, baby.'"
He was determined to beat cancer and graduate, and he did both in a span of about five hours.
What's next:
Now with cancer and high school in the rearview mirror, he is looking ahead at all that’s to come.
"My next goal is to hopefully inspire so many people and then go to college to learn automotive technology," Mendoza said.
"I'm a proud mom. He didn't give up," his mother said.