Gena is
Blood Cancer United

I am 28 years old and a two-time cancer survivor. My life has come full circle many times, and I am here to share my story to inspire and help others to heal themselves.

My story begins when I was 3½ years old. I was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). At the time, I was treated at Schneider's Children's Hospital, now Cohen's Children's Medical Center. This was a long and tough battle with rounds of chemotherapy. I almost did not make it. Thank God I had the most loving support system which helped me get through the battle.

By the time I was age 5 turning 6, I was able to start going to school in a very small group while my immune system built back up. Thankfully, my parents are in the health and fitness industry, so they catered to my health which I am so grateful for. I was able to join sports by the time I was 7 or 8. This started my other journey and is also a full-circle moment because I had people running for me trying to raise money to save my life and other pediatric cancer patients, and now here I am able to run on my own and coach others. This led me to the sport of track and field. I was able to compete at Ithaca College and be a part of the women's track and field team. During my time at Ithaca, alas, adversity struck, and I was then diagnosed with thyroid cancer my junior year. This did not deter me, and I was determined to heal and go back to school to finish up my senior year and continue to compete. That is exactly what I did. I then immersed myself into the health, fitness, and wellness industry to help others get stronger, faster, and healthier.

Know that it is your birthright to live a vivacious and healthy life.