Talk to an advisor (9 AM-9 PM EST): 866-442-6062

Talk to an advisor (9 AM-9 PM EST): 866-925-2803

Although one in every 350 individuals in the United States will develop cancer before the age of 20, long-term survival rates exceed 75 percent, and the number of  

childhood cancer

  survivors is on the rise. In fact, today there are an estimated 270,000 childhood cancer survivors in the United States. CB Teen takes you inside the world of one such young woman who refused to be defeated.

Diagnosed with Acute Lymphoid Leukemia (ALL) at the age of nine, Emily knows a thing or two about being a survivor. The now 24-year-old, who is pursuing a master's degree in art therapy counseling at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (Edwardsville, IL), received her diagnosis after experiencing difficulty breathing and a drastic decrease in energy. Mysterious large, deep bruises on her legs, and a strange collapse on the soccer field during a game, sent Emily to the doctor, where she was told she had ALL.

"I was embarrassed and convinced I had done something horribly wrong," she says of her initial reaction to the diagnosis. It wasn't any easier on her family. "My parents were strong," she insists. "They never cried in front of me. But I think the hardest thing for them was their inability to take the burden from me."

Immediately following her diagnosis, Emily's weekly treatments began. She underwent invasive procedures like spinal taps, bone marrow aspirations, and blood transfusions, as well as chemotherapy and hospital stays. "The worst effect from the treatment was the nausea," she recalls. "I spent more time with my head in a bucket or a toilet than I care to remember." Losing her hair was another difficult thing to deal with, she says.

Her struggle with cancer affected not only her health, but her ability to enjoy being a teenager. "Normal ceased to exist after I was diagnosed with leukemia," says Emily. "I didn't know how to relate to myself, and my friends knew even less. I felt like they could never understand the experience of the illness, which led me down a path of loneliness and isolation." Although she was in remission by the time she entered high school, Emily still experienced health problems. "I felt like an 80-year-old woman in an 18-year-old body," she explains. Excessive fatigue -- as well as high cholesterol and damage to her ovaries -- was a result of the radiation treatment she received, and would continue to affect her throughout college.

"I struggled with depression during college, which made it difficult to focus on my studies and have time to socialize," she admits. But in the end, she says, she triumphed. "I began writing and found it quite empowering. I still have the passion to write and I plan to write my own narrative one day."

Being a cancer survivor is something that will always impact who she is, says Emily. It even had a hand in determining her choice of study in college. "I want to become an art therapist because of my experience with cancer," she says. "My mother is an artist, and my aunt is a psychologist. My aunt told me that cancer hates color, so I always liked art for that reason."

The threat of developing secondary cancers may loom over Emily -- prior to entering graduate school, she had to have her thyroid removed due to a precancerous lump in her throat -- but nothing deters her from putting her whole heart into all she does. "I work hard because I have the strength and the mindset to follow through. I know that I can and will accomplish anything I want," she says. "I feel the delicacy of life, but I am finally OK with being me. For so long, I only saw her -- the girl with leukemia, the survivor -- Now, I see me."

Emily's advice for anyone who is feeling defeated by cancer is to embrace their emotions. "It is OK to need other people, it is OK to hurt, and it is OK to feel," she insists. "I felt guilty for being sad or for wanting a quality life. You have to give yourself permission to express yourself and realize that being strong can include crying." And most importantly, take care of yourself, she urges. "Trust yourself, trust your needs, trust your thoughts, trust your dreams -- trust yourself and the rest will come."

>> Statistics Source: www.beyondthecure.org

The 4-1-1 on College Scholarships for Survivors of Childhood Cancer

The American Cancer Society (ACS) offers scholarships through its state or regional chapters for students attending two- or four-year colleges. Surf www.cancer.org or call 800-ACS-2345 for more information and to find an ACS office near you. For more scholarship and cancer info, check out www.beyondthecure.org. Below are some of the many scholarships available to cancer survivors and their families:

The Ulman Cancer Fund: Matt Stauffer Memorial Scholarship (888-393-FUND; www.ulmanfund.org).

Stephen T. Marchello Scholarship Foundation for students in Arizona, California, Colorado, and Montana (www.stmfoundation.org).

SuperSibs: College Scholarships for Brothers and Sisters of Children With Cancer (866-444-7427).

Sound Off! Post Your Comments