Words don’t amount to much when a person hears the diagnosis, “cancer.”  I very quickly learned that words have power, but actions offer hope.  Strange as it sounds, I had done a presentation in 6th grade on leukemia only to hear the words “acute lymphoblastic leukemia” in relation to myself the summer going into my 7th grade year.  My diagnosis on August 27, 2015 set me on a path for two and a half years that would change my life forever.  

The path of treatment wasn’t just a rollercoaster.  My life WAS a rollercoaster.  From being tested physically with lumbar punctures, bone marrow extractions, in-clinic and at-home chemotherapy, I was shaken and scared.  I was angry. I was sad.  I was frustrated.  I felt alone, different.  I felt like no one could possibly understand what I was going through.  I hated when people looked at me with that “look.”  I just wanted to be seen as a “normal” kid.  My family and I learned a new normal.

I didn’t need to hear that everything was going to be OK, because no one could guarantee that.  What I came to understand is that I needed people to support me, love me, treat me like I was a normal kid, even if what I was experiencing wasn’t normal.  Although I didn’t have this word while going through treatment, I needed and wanted “partners.”  Partners to be there for me, walk with me, offer me what I couldn’t find or do for myself. Pediatric Cancer Foundation of the Lehigh Valley has always been one of those partners.

I am now a senior at Temple University majoring in Second Education with a concentration in history.  PCFLV stood by me and my family all throughout my treatment.  Beyond offering us simple things like meals, gas cards, fun outings, I received a scholarship for my freshman year that helped with my college tuition.

Cancer sucks yet it would have sucked even more if I didn’t have friends like PCFLV with me.

Written by Rowan

Please consider helping children with cancer and others in our community by scheduling a blood donation at Miller-Keystone Blood Center: https://donor.giveapint.org/donor/schedules/zip