Teens & Children

In 2016 I received one of the scariest calls. My 9-year-old niece had just been diagnosed with leukemia. I live on the opposite side of the country. I was by her side in under 12 hours where I spent the next month trading shifts with her mom as we watched her struggle through treatment. During her hospital stay, we learned of several children from our small community battling the same cancer.

I would like to introduce everyone to my little warrior, Hunter. When he was just four years old, he had an enlarged stomach that just kept getting bigger and bigger with no answers as to why. Well, finally in October, his doctor sent him for more testing to hopefully finally get a diagnosis that could be treated. We were thinking appendicitis, which would be an easier cure than leukemia.

Hello! My name is Madison, but that's not what you need to remember. The name you need to remember is Brodie. You see, I am joining the 2023 Student Visionaries of the Year campaign in honor of my childhood friend, Brodie. In November 2018, Brodie was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) while only in the 6th grade.

I am writing to share about my son, Aiden, who is our real superhero and has superpowers that shine bright through his love of dance. From a very young age, we considered Aiden to be our gifted child. He has a free spirit and loves to connect with the world and others in it. His parents have taught him to "dream big" and "reach for the stars" and he can do whatever he puts his mind to.