Culinary Student Defies All Odds and Gets to Graduation

Army Vet Overcomes Cancer & Devastating War Injuries to Reclaim His Life

Laying in a hospital bed paralyzed, Curtis Worsley wondered what would become of his life. It all happened in a millisecond. This was back in 2007, and he was driving a supply truck in Iraq when an IED blew the vehicle to pieces. An 18-year-old private was dead, and Curtis could not feel his legs.

Doctors tried to give Curtis hope, but truth be told, there was no certainty that he would ever walk again. He fell into a deep depression. Then he realized that he was a soldier and he knew how to fight, on and off the battlefield. Three years earlier, he was diagnosed with liver cancer. Despite long odds, he was still in that fight. Why not win this one as well?

It took a year and a half, but he did it. Once again, he could walk. His military career, however, was over and he needed to find a new path. He had plenty of interests. He could sing and was a born entertainer, he also loved photography, sewing, and cooking.

Eventually, Curtis would find himself singing on board the Spirit of Norfolk cruise ship and even opening for acts at the Hampton Jazz Festival. To make ends meet, he supplemented that income with a job arranging auto loans. He cooked for fun and especially enjoyed baking things for friends. All in all, it was a pretty active schedule for a man who was still fighting cancer.

Yet, out of all his many interests, it was baking that seemed to bring the most satisfaction, and it was his fiancé who first suggested that maybe he should go to school and get some formal training. Who knows - maybe he could open his own bakery.

Last spring, Curtis enrolled at ECPI University’s College of Culinary Arts, Culinary Institute of Virginia (CIV), and began pursuing a degree in Bakery & Pastry Arts. The timing may not have been the best, as it coincided with chemo treatments.

“There were times when I would check out of the hospital and go straight to class,” Curtis says, “I was not going to give up, although at times I must admit, it did cross my mind. I just kept reminding myself what my mother said, that God does not give us more than we can bear, and I believe that. I also have learned that whatever does not kill us, makes us stronger. It may be a cliché, but it’s true.

“Of course, I did not do it alone. I had my family and friends, and the instructors at CIV were awesome. They did everything possible to help me stay on track while I was going through chemo. I’m getting married in August, and several of them have been invited to the wedding. By now, I just think of them as family.”

As his May 17 graduation date approaches, Curtis got the best possible graduation gift imaginable, having just learned that his cancer has gone into remission. “I feel like my future is bright,” he says. “I plan to open my own bakery and I am confident that I will be successful. I’ve overcome so much, and I believe I can do anything I put my mind to.”

Are you interested in baking beautiful desserts? If you want to earn an Associate of Applied Science in Baking and Pastry Arts, ECPI University's Culinary Institute of Virginia offers this degree program at an accelerated pace. For more information, connect with a helpful admissions advisor today.

It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!

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