In late 2023, Aaron Hernandez was diagnosed with a rare type of blood cancer. More than a year later, he’s in remission and feeling “110 percent.”
The experience has been a powerful reminder that “life is short,” said Hernandez, known in Yellowknife by his hip-hop stage name Godson.
The last year required “a lot of patience and just trusting the process and staying positive,” he said. “Every day was long when you’re not working, when you have nothing to do, just taking the chemo and taking things hour by hour, day by day. It was a long, long process.”
His initial diagnosis of stage four anaplastic T-cell lymphoma came in late November 2023, following which he completed treatments in Edmonton and Yellowknife, including a month-long stay in Edmonton for a stem cell transplant.
His wife was at his side every day of treatment, and his children were able to fly to Edmonton to see him during Christmas and in July for their birthdays.
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He also felt the support of his Yellowknife community. Friends set up a GoFundMe page that quickly surpassed its goal of $20,000 and ultimately raised more than $42,000 for Hernandez and his family. The money went toward food, bills and other expenses while Hernandez was battling cancer and couldn’t earn an income.
Hernandez wasn’t sure about accepting help at first – “I’m just one of those people that… I don’t ask for help,” he said – but acknowledged the support made a real difference in getting his family through the ordeal.
“It is so tough, financially, when you go from income to no income like 10 months straight,” he said.
Seeing all the support coming in every day “didn’t seem real,” Hernandez said. “It just seemed like people actually do care about me.”
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In part, that may be a testament to Hernandez’s many years of involvement in the community.
Godson the DJ and hip-hop artist has released more than a dozen albums, was part of the NWT contingent that performed at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, received a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal in 2012, and was a finalist for EMI’s Record Deal competition. Hernandez and his family even competed on Family Feud Canada in 2019.
Since his treatments, Hernandez has received a clean bill of health and said he’s feeling better than he has in years. He returned to work at Yellowknife Motors in September 2024, happy to be out of the house and have normalcy back in his life.
“I have a whole new appreciation for life and not thinking too much on what I need to be doing years from now … just enjoying every day,” Hernandez said. “Spending time with family, hanging out with the kids.”
“When I got diagnosed, it was an eye-opener that life is short,” he added. Now he has a second chance, he plans on using “every bit of it to make sure that my family is happy and thriving. So my main focus is to be that father, to be that husband and that son … to make sure that [my family] live a happy life.”
The past year has also reignited his passion for music. Though he regularly performs as a DJ, it’s been a “long time” since he performed as a rapper.
He started writing again during treatment and recently applied to perform this year at Folk on the Rocks, Yellowknife’s main summer music festival. He hopes to release new singles over the summer, inspired by his experience.
“It’s time to get back – to get back to the microphone and pen and paper and start writing music again,” Hernandez said.
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He said he thinks about what he went through every day and urges people to get checked if they feel something is wrong. “It’s not worth waiting around for,” Hernandez said.
After spending almost a year of his life “on pause,” Hernandez expressed gratitude for the connections friends maintained during that time.
Simple messages and check-ins asking how he was doing “melted my heart,” Hernandez said, “knowing that people are actually really praying for me and keeping me in their thoughts.”
“I just want to say thank you to not only the community of Yellowknife but supporters from across the world,” Hernandez said.
“You helped me stay alive.”
