By Coker Powell, Chief Revenue Officer, Blood Cancer United
When someone hears the words “you have blood cancer,” life changes in an instant. Plans pause, futures feel uncertain, and everything shifts.
But at Blood Cancer United, we know something else to be true: people are so much more than their diagnoses.
Every day, we meet patients and families at some of the hardest moments of their lives, helping them navigate information, treatment decisions, financial stress, and what comes next.
And often, something powerful happens. The people we serve become the people who serve the mission—volunteering, fundraising, advocating, mentoring, and sharing their unique stories and talents so others feel less alone.
That transformation is why I was so grateful to spend time with Olivia Hiltbrand—a survivor, attorney, advocate, volunteer, and Visionaries of the Year fundraiser whose experience reflects the full continuum of our mission.
Olivia’s story is not simply about surviving cancer. It is about what survivorship really means — and how, with the right support and community, survivors can become some of the most powerful voices for positive change.
A diagnosis that changes everything
In fall 2020, Olivia was a healthy 31-year-old television reporter, newly married and beginning to think about starting a family. When she started feeling unusually fatigued, it was easy to dismiss—pandemic stress, seasonal illness.
But the symptoms worsened. At one point, Olivia felt like there was a ball in her throat. She had pain near her sternum. In a dentist’s chair, lying back, she felt like she could not swallow or breathe properly.
Eventually, testing revealed a mass. Lymphoma had never crossed Olivia’s mind, even though her grandfather had been diagnosed with lymphoma and passed away from it when she was in college. She spent about a week waiting in uncertainty for her test results.
Soon after, she was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma, later classified as acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), both aggressive forms of blood cancer.
“I didn’t expect cancer in my early 30s,” she said. “It breaks your world apart a little bit.”
That reality stays with me. Cancer cracks open entire lives, disrupting health, careers, finances, relationships, mental health, fertility, and identity. At Blood Cancer United, we see the patients we serve as whole people, not defined by a diagnosis.
They are professionals, parents, spouses, students, caregivers, advocates, fundraisers, and leaders. They are people with dreams, fears, ambitions, and futures that deserve to be protected.
The full meaning of survivorship
For Olivia, one of the most urgent questions was whether she and her husband could still have children. Because treatment needed to start quickly, there was little time for planning. Her care team took steps to preserve fertility, but uncertainty remained.
Today, Olivia is expecting a baby girl—a joyful milestone that underscores a larger truth: survivorship is not just about remission. It’s about learning how to live fully after cancer, with all that comes with it.
After two and a half years of treatment, Olivia discovered what many survivors do: the end of treatment was not the finish line she once imagined.
“You’re not done just because treatment’s done,” she said.
There were ongoing appointments, emotional rebuilding, and life changes—all while starting law school, navigating financial strain, and coping with personal loss. She had long considered law as a path, but cancer clarified her purpose.
At the same time, she’s candid about the pressure survivors can feel to turn their experience into something inspiring.
“People are often expected to make something good out of cancer. I want to tell fellow survivors that they don’t owe the world that. It’s okay to just pick up and move on.”
That honesty matters. No one owes the world a silver lining. No one has to transform pain into purpose. But for Olivia, getting involved helped her make sense of what had happened.
And with her skills as a journalist and now as an attorney, she felt she could help raise awareness about blood cancer.
Finding a place to give back
Olivia first connected with Blood Cancer United during her treatment, using our free resources to better understand and communicate what she was experiencing. She also saw firsthand how even modest financial support—covering parking, meals, or daily expenses—can make a meaningful difference.
Later, through a law school board fellowship, she formally got involved. But the desire to give back was already there.
“I think that’s common among a lot of volunteers with Blood Cancer United,” she said. “We have this personal connection, and we want to do something with it.”
Her advocacy around medical debt is also grounded in experience. Despite having insurance, steady income, and support from family and friends, Olivia still faced overwhelming costs. Her treatment exceeded $1 million, with tens of thousands paid out of pocket in the first year alone.
Stories like Olivia’s remind us that medical debt can affect anyone—and that survivorship should not mean carrying a lifelong financial burden. And she shares her experience to bring about important policy changes.
“If telling my story can stir action, it’s worth it,” she said.
People enter our community at different points. Some come to us newly diagnosed and searching for answers. Others arrive as caregivers, donors, volunteers, advocates, or fundraisers. Some are looking for information. Some are seeking community. Some want to honor someone they love.
But when people find a place to belong, they often stay. They discover that their story, skills, and time can make a difference for others.
Each engagement became a stepping stone. And that often becomes the lifecycle of our mission.
Turning experience into impact
Behind every campaign, event, donation, volunteer role, and advocacy effort is a human truth: people support this work because it has touched their lives.
They know what it feels like to need help. And once they are able, many want to become part of the help someone else receives.
When Olivia joined Visionaries of the Year, she knew fundraising would challenge her.
“It’s awkward to ask for money,” she said. “But I realized I’m not asking for me—I’m asking for them.”
She started with her immediate network, then reached further, uncovering how many people had their own connections to cancer. In the process, she raised $65,000—and helped expand awareness in ways that will resonate far beyond that campaign.
That ripple effect is hard to measure, but it is incredibly powerful.
Someone may read an email, attend an event, hear a story, or make a donation, and years later, when someone they love is diagnosed, they will know where to turn.
The power of showing up
What I admire most about Olivia is how she approached involvement: she simply showed up, and one step led to another.
That’s a message for anyone wondering how to engage. You don’t need unlimited time or a perfect plan. You can donate, volunteer, share a story, attend an event, or advocate in small ways. Every action matters.
“The impact, even if you do something small, is really big,” Olivia said.
That’s the heart of Blood Cancer United. Every contribution—time, voice, or resources—moves us closer to a future where patients live longer, fuller lives.
What stays with me most about Olivia is not only what she endured, but what she chose to build afterward. Her story is a reminder that our role is not just to support patients in the moment, but to create pathways for them to stay connected in ways that are meaningful to them—and to help shape what comes next for others.
At Blood Cancer United, we are here at diagnosis. We are here during treatment. We are here in survivorship.
And we are here when survivors like Olivia want to give back, using their powerful voices to make the system better for others.
