DAVIDSON COUNTY, N.C. — Victory has never been so sweet.
As a long-time gasman for Dale Earnhardt, Danny 'Chocolate' Myers, has experienced many wins alongside Earnhardt, but recently he had another reason to celebrate.
Myers rang the cancer victory bell after being diagnosed with a rare, aggressive form of lymphoma, called mantle cell lymphoma earlier this year.
"It kind of took my bad boy image away from me when they seen the tears in my eyes but it was a happy moment it was a fantastic moment.," Myers said.
He is in clinical remission.
"We'll go into what's called maintenance. I'll go back and do more blood work and they’ll keep an eye on it," Myers said. "They have a new treatment some clinical trials that you may not have to do chemo it’s a pill. I think we’ll do that and see where we go."
It wasn't an easy journey getting here. Myers lost 45 pounds and it took six trips over six months to Duke's Cancer Center for chemo.
Those long days are hopefully a thing of the past.
"The first day I was sitting in the waiting room discouraged not knowing what my life was going to be like and I heard the bell ring someone had beat cancer," Myers said. "It was an emotional day for me and I never said anything to anyone about it and I said to myself I want to ring that bell."
Now that he's reached that milestone Myers can get back to what's been in his bloodline for decades, racing.
Myers is the son of racing pioneer Bobby Myers. He went on to make a name for himself working on the crew with Richard Childress and being Dale Earnhardt's gasman for 20 years until his passing.
Myers compared his team at Duke to those he worked with in the pit.
"I felt like I was on a great team at Richard Childress Racing," Myers said. "I think the team there at Duke is as good as any race team I've ever seen."
The bell he rang Thursday symbolizes Myer's strength, something he hopes to pass on to others.
"To give them hope and let them know if you stick with it you can make it," Myers said.
Myers said he’s going to let the last round of chemo get out of his system before he gets back to work at the Richard Childress Racing Museum.
He's worked there since Earnhardt's passing but had to take a break when he got his diagnosis.
Myers' wife released the following statement:
Chocolate is so excited. Today is the last day of chemo on this protocol. He will start on zanubrutinib, an oral BTK inhibitor, in three months. He will have a doctor's appointment next month and labs. He will have another PET scan in three months. And another colonoscopy soon. We understand he’s in clinical remission for stage four mantle cell lymphoma. We know that mantle cell lymphoma at this moment doesn’t have a cure. Doctors tell us it’s treatable, not curable. We also believe in miracles. We are asking God for the biggest miracle daily!
MORE WAYS TO GET WFMY NEWS 2
Subscribe to our daily newsletter Let’s Get 2 It!
Download the WFMY News 2 APP from your Apple or Google Play store.
ADD THE WFMY+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for WFMY.
Amazon Fire TV: Search for WFMY to find the free app to add to your account. You can also add the app directly to your Fire TV through your Amazon account.