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Cancer survivor battling disease with an inspiring outlook and unique friendship

By Edie Kasten,
Joe Donlon
Joe Donlon
Joe Donlon
Emmy-winning journalist Joe Donlon is co-anchor of CBS 2 Chicago's weeknight 5, 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts with Irika Sargent.
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Joe Donlon

/ CBS Chicago

Meet a man who made a conscious decision to face adversity with a smile and a sense of adventure. A driving force alongside him: a friend he never imagined meeting.

Cabbie Anouar Lysazale is a driving force in his pal Steven Daniel's life in many ways. They first met about eight years ago.

"We're friends. We're family. We support each other and encourage each other," Daniel said.

How did the two very different men become so close? Lysazale said it happened "organically" as he began driving Daniel to his treatment sessions for prostate cancer.

"I first noticed symptoms at the end of 2016 and the beginning of 2017, but it was that my knee was in severe pain," Daniel said. "Then I started to feel pain in my back, and then it developed into having difficulty with urinating."

In 2017, Daniel learned he has metastatic prostate cancer. He also had a choice to make.

"I just said to myself, 'If you were planning a trip to Spain – I've never been to Spain – it would be an adventure," he said. "So, I'm just going to look at this cancer journey as my adventure."

Daniel's oncologist, Dr. Maha Hussain, an oncologist and expert at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center at Northwestern University, said prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, but still "the odds for overall survival is tremendous."

"Many men right now are living quite a bit longer," Hussain said.

Hussain recently told Daniel his cancer is looking stable. She also said attitude is key. Take Daniel for example.

"He has a wonderful spirit, he is very positive, and he is definitely a survivor, and he is enjoying life," she said. "The key thing is to keep being a fighter and survivor."

In Daniel's case, he's not just a fighter and survivor, but a singer.

"Once I was diagnosed with cancer, I made a list of things that I'd always kind of wanted to do or to pursue," he said. "One of them was taking voice lessons."

In 2022, when the was looking for someone to represent the organization during the Chicago Cubs' seventh inning stretch at Wrigley Field, they chose Daniel, and no one was more surprised.

"If you'd have told me in 2017, when I was diagnosed with prostate cancer, that I'd be singing at Wrigley Field, I would have said, 'That's silly. That's not going to happen,'" Daniel said.

Speaking of things Daniel never guessed would happen: Lysazale's constant kindness.

"He'd ask me if I needed to go to the grocery store," Daniel said. "He would shut off the car, he'd wait for me, I'd go and get my groceries or whatever, then hew would just drive me home. One night, he said, 'We've already taken care of dinner,' so on the ride home, he just pulled over in front of that restaurant, went in, and got me dinner."

But there's even more.

"The most moving thing that he ever said to me was that he was praying for me when they were at mosque, that he was praying for me," Daniel said.

Lysazale said their friendship was meant to be.

"His heart is so big, and it doesn't matter what words comes out of my mouth, it's not enough," he said. "He's very kind to our family, giving a lot of goodness to our kids."

Daniel also gives Lysazale's family a certain amount of chocolate.

"If I knew he was going to pick me up, I always got his children some kind of bag of candy," Daniel said

"He spoiled my kids. Now I'm having trouble controlling them," Lysazale said. "Whenever I bring chocolate home, my wife is like, 'Did you buy chocolate?' I'm like, 'Nonni, this is from Mr. Steven.' Like, 'Oh, in this case, it's okay.' I'm like, 'Excuse me?'"

Lisazale's final word about Daniel?

"I believe he was born with a smile," he said.

And Daniel's words for all of us?

"Live your life. Embrace life," he said. "If you want to go to a fancy restaurant, you've never done that? Make a reservation, go to that restaurant. If you want to take voice lessons, go take voice lessons. Embrace all those opportunities."

Daniel sang again at Wrigley Field in 2024, and is hoping for a three-peat.

You can learn about the great work of the Prostate Cancer Foundation, and how you can help on the foundation's website, .

Do you know someone a person or place that brings you joy? We want to share your story. 

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