Famous Maroon Band member marches through obstacles
Joseph Guarisco returned to marching band for the first time since battling cancer.
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Perseverance is built when overcoming an obstacle or a challenging circumstance.
And that’s what it took for a Mississippi State student to battle cancer over the past year.
Nothing could keep Joseph Guarisco from returning to The Famous Maroon Band.
This is his first summer back on the field since his battle with cancer.
“Last summer, I was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma and I had to miss last year’s marching season to do chemotherapy treatments,” said Guarisco.
The blood cancer created a tumor in his chest.
“Besides just being rough on you physically, it was hard mentally being away from my friends and this experience. Because there’s nothing like a game day when you’re in the band. The hype is incredible,” said Guarisco.
But as of March, he said he was declared cancer-free.
The trombone player joined the marching band in Fall 2021.
He said he couldn’t wait to get back on the field.
“Oh, it was fantastic (returning), I cant express it. I’ve been in band since middle school, I marched in high school and marched in college and it’s a part of my life that I was incredibly happy to return to,” said Guarisco.
Though returning has come with some challenges, Joseph said his band directors have been helpful.
“They’ve been so kind and understanding and willing to work with me on everything. They know that I need extra breaks and they let me take them no questions asked. I can go sit down, I can do whatever I need to do. If I take an extra minute getting back into the set, that’s completely fine with them,” said Guarisco.
Joseph said he also had friends and family to visit him during his time of chemo.
“I’m just very happy to back. I still have some restrictions on what I can and can’t do, but I’m back and better than ever,” said Guarisco.
Joseph finished his chemo treatments in December.
You can catch him and the other Famous Maroon Band members perform at MSU’s first home game on September 6th.
