A couple of days have now passed since 26-year-old David Diaz beat a field of 1,339 players and took home the 2011 WSOP No Limit Hold'em Triple Chance title for $352,208. But this was far from the biggest achievement in his life - as a kid, he was diagnosed with cancer and had small chances of surviving.
Diaz, 26, was born in Honduras and was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 4. And according to different doctors, he had very small chances of surviving. Apart from that, they couldn't treat him at the hospitals in Honduras and his family could not afford to send him to a hospital abroad. But thanks to family in New Jersey, he got the best possible treatment in the U.S. and managed to beat death.
"I had cancer when I was four-years old," Diaz said after his win.
"I had family that lived in New Jersey - my Aunt Rosa and her husband Ramon. They brought me down to Memphis because that was the only hospital [St. Jude's Children's Hospital in Memphis] for children that had been treated with that type of thing. They pretty much saved my life. ... [It was a] great hospital. They saved my life, and saved a lot of kids lives."
David Diaz lives with his family in Memphis, U.S. these days. And for the past 5 years, he makes his money from playing poker - something that really has paid off! In total, he has cashed in around 30 live tournaments and earned almost $800,000.
