Everyone has a personal connection to cancer - whether it is through a direct, personal experience, or working through that journey with a family member or friend. I remember having my mom sit me down and tell me that my childhood best friend got diagnosed with Leukemia, and that friend was the LLS Honored Hero for last year's campaign, Aubrey Tillery. 

I also remember sitting with my grandmother, who we called Mama, during her fight with cancer in the hospice center. We found out in April of 2021, and she was in her last days in May and passed in July. She was diagnosed with lung cancer which had spread to her brain. During this time, I was able to witness how steadfast her faith was. Religion, particularly Christianity, has always been something my family cares deeply about. She was someone who dedicated her whole life to helping others. She helped to set up a hospital in Uganda and helped advocate for the Pygmies to have a place to live after they were being persecuted and sent out by their government from the rainforest which they had lived in for centuries. While her story is not one of battling childhood cancer, her journey all the way until the end motivates me every day to push myself to help others and do exactly what our faith calls us to do. 

Throughout our time at the hospice center, what really stuck with me was how graceful and gentle the staff were towards my family and me. I have a deep passion for music, particularly singing, and Mama had asked my cousin and me to sing for her, and eventually write a song, and the staff would always sit in and listen to us. The nurses who were caring for us were so kind and gave our family every option and resource they could to ensure that this journey, while devastating, was beautiful. This is why I am dedicated to Patient Support. I know what it can mean to have amazing resources and support available, and I hope through this I will raise awareness and facilitate that process. 

As a Student Visionary, my job is to build on the vision set by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to lead charge in creating a better world and making the impossible possible.