“Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Not only does this beautifully simple old saying express a powerful wisdom, but it has proven more true for me than I would have imagined. In June of 2018, at the age of 13, I was diagnosed with Stage 4 of a rare form of Ovarian Cancer that had also spread to my lungs. My treatment required 4 rounds of chemotherapy, each with a 5 day hospital stay, and required four surgeries. These treatments and surgeries came with devastating side effects. I lost nearly 30 pounds due to constant nausea, lost all of my hair, felt constantly and exceedingly nauseated and fatigued, and am left with several very noticeable scars. The battle was won, however, and I was announced cancer free on February 7th, 2019.

Battling cancer truly impacted my perspective on life far more than I can express in one brief essay. I learned that fighting a battle doesn’t mean you have to fight alone. Doctors, nurses, hospitals, family, friends, and even strangers whom I have still never met supported me and fought alongside me. I could not have won my cancer battle without them. I learned that people can be extraordinarily kind and generous, that people (including myself) can be much stronger than we might realize, and that I am loved more than I ever knew. I learned that life is fragile and should as much as possible be valued and appreciated. And with great sadness I also witnessed and learned first hand that despite the strongest efforts, tragically not everyone wins their fight.

The changes to my perspective allowed me to see and appreciate the many blessings I have in my life, and had throughout my journey. I was blessed to live in an area with three very well known pediatric cancer treatment centers. My treatments took place mainly over the course of a summer, so I did not miss an entire half or all of a school year. I was blessed to live in a time when treatments had been developed to fight this cancer in a way that did not exist not so many years ago. I was blessed to have friends, family, and community members create several fundraising efforts to help my family manage the enormous financial costs involved in my treatments. I continue to feel so grateful for those blessings, and so many more.

The perspectives gained while battling cancer also gave me the courage to make high future goals with a new confidence that I could achieve them. Though fairly shy and reserved before my battle, throughout my treatment and recovery I was forced to come out of my shell. I have spoken about my journey in front of several large audiences, and am now highly involved with my school’s Mini-THON, an offshoot of Penn State University’s THON pediatric cancer fundraising event. I developed an interest in working with children, and in the field of communications to perhaps help those in need of help during their fight to connect with outlets available to help. My journey to defeat cancer began at Penn State Medical Center, which inspired my interest in attending the University. I have accepted the offer to attend Penn State / University Park, and plan to pursue either Childhood Education, or Communications I Public Relations. While attending Penn State, I absolutely plan to become involved in the annual THON event every year. It is something I am passionate about, and I am eager to be a part of an organization that raises over fifteen million dollars annually to help fight and hopefully someday defeat childhood cancer.

I cannot say what my life would be like now if I had not battled cancer, but I can certainly say that the battle and its lessons have shaped my life significantly since. I do have scars, but I have grown as a person. Cancer did not kill me, and I am much stronger.