Winning the fight against Leukemia has been an unexpected blessing that has forever changed my life. In early February 2021, my parents called me to the living room and told me we needed to go to the hospital. I was confused because I wasn’t sick and didn’t understand what was happening. After rushing to the emergency room, the doctor confirmed that I had cancer. I imminently went into shock! I didn’t realize what Leukemia was and the implications that it would have on my family. Things didn’t sink in until I began the exams and medical procedures. After a couple of days of chemotherapy, I started to feel sick, and then I began to question why this was happening. I have seen these scenarios on television and in movies, but I never thought something like this would ever happen to me.

I imagine being in the hospital anytime is lonely, but imagine undergoing chemotherapy during COVID-19. Due to the strict restrictions, I wasn’t allowed to see any of my family or friends, and therefore, the only companions I had were the doctors, nurses, and my mother. I missed my friends and classmates, mostly my two sisters and brother. We are a very close family, and I could tell through our Facetime calls that they were trying to put on a good front for me, but I knew they were distraught. They not only missed me, but my mother had to leave them to live with me in the hospital. I had many ups and downs with the treatments for the next five months. There were many scary moments, including infections, blood transfusions, and trips to the ICU. However, the week before my 16th birthday, I was able to ring the survivor bell and was released from the hospital cancer-free.

Unfortunately, in late December 2023 (just the week before Christmas), I found out that my cancer had returned. This time, my treatment wouldn’t just consist of aggressive chemotherapy, but it would also include a bone marrow transplant. This news was devastating because it came in the middle of my senior year. I had just found out I had been accepted into all my top colleges, was nominated as prom queen, and was looking forward to enjoying my last semester at home before heading off to college with all my friends. Upon being admitted back into the hospital, the doctors told my parents that I was in desperate need of a bone marrow transplant. While this might not seem like that big of a deal for most people, as an African American, my chances of finding a perfect match are about 29%. By God’s blessing, my siblings were tested, and my sister and brother came back as perfect matches. The doctors began to prep my body to get ready for transplant, but one of the drugs that was used to get my body into remission was rejected and required me to spend weeks in the ICU. Doctors were unsure what had happened, and after much research and deliberation with some of the country’s top children’s oncologists, they found out that my reaction had only happened to less than ten other people worldwide. Luckily, much attention was paid to navigating the issue so that I could be treated, and doctors said that I would be in a textbook to help other patients in the future.

After spending three months in the hospital, it was time for me to head for a transplant. My family knew the fight would be hard and lonely but necessary. The doctors decided to go with my brother as my donor, and he had to forgo a lot of things to get himself ready and to be healthy for the donation. For the weeks and months after the transplant, I had some complications, and due to my fragile immune system, I had to stay confined in my hospital room. I was very lonely, and the only company I had was the nurses, doctors, and my mother, who would dress up in costumes to try and keep my spirits up. Many times, I felt very sad knowing that I was missing prom, hanging out with my friends, and even having to have my graduation in my hospital room.

Upon completing the transplant, doctors told me that I needed to use the year to regain my strength and heal from the trauma that my body underwent. However, having gone through this experience, I wanted more than ever to complete my college education, so to keep from falling behind, the doctors allowed me to attend community college, except that I attend virtually.

While many will say that their medical experience has inspired them to pursue a career in medicine, I still have a passion for obtaining a Business degree focusing on Finance and Accounting. While I am incredibly appreciative and respectful of the work that was done by my medical team, I feel that my interest in Business can provide similar benefits to the medical industry and, more specifically, help to draw financial contributions to childhood cancer and bone marrow research. Before my diagnosis, I was living a carefree life that was a bit self­ centered. Now, after this cancer journey, I have been given life lessons that many people twice my age have and never will experience. This experience has increased my faith in God and my story of hope and resilience. While sometimes I still question why this happened to me, I am comforted to know that whatever the reason, it will only make me a better and stronger person.

Due to my experience and positive attitude throughout this journey, my doctor and medical team appointed me as a hospital ambassador. I now can tell my story to other kids undergoing similar situations and hopefully give them the inspiration to continue to fight and stay positive during their fight. I also can help raise money to fight childhood cancer.

Now that I am a one-year post-transplant survivor, I plan to finally go off to college to pursue a career in Finance. I also hope to use my experiences to remain an ambassador and champion for awareness of childhood cancer and the need for more diverse bone marrow donors. In many ways, I feel fortunate that God trusted me to have this experience to use my story to impact my community and make necessary changes to my community’s awareness.