“When it’s dark enough, you can see the stars.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
These words ring true for me when I recollect my childhood. On February 8, 2007, we received the phone call. The room was still and silent; clouds shrouded the sun. I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: Cancer.
My three-and-a-half-year battle was dark, but the number of stars shining was countless. Throughout my journey, our community came together in ways we once thought unimaginable. Neighbors woke up in the middle of the night to pray for me, high school students held carwashes to raise money for my chemotherapy, my neighborhood hosted “bike races” to help raise awareness and support for my journey, and Make-A-Wish granted me hope, providing a trip to Disney World. My family felt the love, goodness, and kindness in humanity that some people never get a chance to feel. All of these shone like spotlights in the darkness. Each one represented a person sacrificing time or money for me, something I knew was abnormal. The stars represented people, working not for their benefit, but for mine. Their selfless servitude to me and my family made me feel different.
Then I realized, I was different.
Although I was unable to lead a normal childhood, I gained valuable wisdom about life at a young age. I viewed life with a sense of delicacy and resilience others are still unable to do. The more I matured, the more the meaning of each star transformed. Each star began to represent lessons learned, people met through my experience, and opportunities to make impactful change. Cancer gave me the determination to live a purposeful life and serve others. Cancer was a gift to help shape my life and sharpen my purpose.
Born to serve, I now find joy in the act of servitude, and it molded me into the person I am today. My Dad and I co-founded the Dream Team, an endurance race team through Make-A-Wish where we funded about twenty wishes in the short three years we have been operating. I also volunteer with Billy Bear Hug, an organization that provides teddy bears and comfort items to children with chronic illnesses. As a honored hero and patient ambassador, I helped raise over one hundred thousand dollars for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society; my family wanted to give back to the organization that helped me in my journey.
Cancer inspired me to become a star for others. I now desire to focus my college education primarily on biology, so my life will result in a lifelong path through the medical field, serving those afflicted with illness. Wherever life leads me, I desire to be a star for whoever needs it.
We can’t choose our past experiences, but we can use them to empower us. Cancer doesn’t define me, but connecting to my past allows it to acutely influence my perspective.
I can feel the veracity of Emerson’s words in my blood, and I remember no matter how dark it is, I can always see the stars.