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I’ve been diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma three times since May of 2020. My first diagnosis came two weeks after my 27th birthday. I’m currently in treatment for the third time. I was also my dad’s primary caregiver for the last six months of his life after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer in March of 2022.
Throw out the first pitch at a Braves game
I went to urgent care last September because my right foot was numb. They did some X-rays and sent me for an MRI, where they said it could be cancer. I had a biopsy in November that came back as low-grade osteosarcoma, and the first doctor told me I would need an above-the-knee amputation. I got a second opinion and found out I could have the surgery through the knee instead, so I changed insurance and switched care.
In February, I had surgery, and they were able to remove the tumor with clear margins. But about 5–10% of the tumor came back as high-grade, so I had to begin chemotherapy at the end of February. I’m currently a little over halfway through treatment and just about to begin the prosthetic process after months of delayed healing.
A trip with his girlfriend
In October 2022, just a month after my 30th birthday, I was diagnosed with grade 4 glioblastoma — a terminal brain cancer. It’s the kind of news that stops everything. A 6.5 cm tumor was discovered, and I underwent a 10-hour craniotomy that removed nearly 90% of it. I recovered well from surgery, but the prognosis was devastating: just 3 to 6 months to live. That was almost a year ago. Since then, I’ve gone through radiation, months of oral chemotherapy, and now I monitor the tumor every few months. It’s currently stable, and while I know that won’t last forever, I’m still here.
Growing up, I dreamed of having a house with a pool — not just for myself, but as a space to gather with friends, laugh, and feel joy. That dream stuck with me. I’ve been doing aqua therapy at my cancer center, and it’s helped me physically and emotionally. But the nearest pool is over an hour away, and having one at home would allow me to keep moving, healing, and connecting — right in my own backyard. More than anything, it would be a place to feel like myself again.
An above ground pool
A little over a month after my 30th birthday, I was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia on August 16, 2024 — just as my baby girl was turning 8 months old. At the time, we were living in California, where my husband was stationed with the military. After my diagnosis, I was encouraged to transfer my care to Texas for more aggressive treatment.
I was told a stem cell transplant would be my best chance at a cure, but first I had to get my cancer markers down low enough. It took six rounds of chemotherapy, multiple rounds of immune therapy, and a clinical trial with a long inpatient stay to get to that point. Just before transplant, I underwent intensive radiation. During the transplant process, I couldn’t eat for weeks and needed a feeding tube. I also developed a serious liver complication, but thankfully my doctors intervened and helped stabilize me. My hospital stay lasted seven weeks — more than double what we expected — but I was grateful to be healing.
It was heartbreaking not to be with my baby during that time, especially knowing that the transplant likely meant infertility. When I was finally discharged in April, we believed the cancer was gone. But just a month later, we learned it had returned. I’m now back on treatment, focused on targeting a rare genetic mutation in my leukemia. It’s been overwhelming, but I am still full of hope and determination. I want to live — and I believe I can.
Create a play space for her daughter
After about a year of working with a GI doctor to figure out unexplained bleeding and anemia, I was referred for iron infusions. I was initially being seen at a local hematology/oncology clinic, where a nurse practitioner noticed that things weren’t quite adding up. She really listened to what I was describing, and instead of ordering another scope, she sent me for a CT scan. That’s when they discovered a 10.3 cm mass in my abdomen — this was in late September 2024.
Initially, they thought it might be ovarian, and I was scheduled for laparoscopic surgery in October. But when they went in, they realized the mass was actually adhered to my intestines, and I had additional tumors elsewhere. The surgery ended up being six hours long and very complex. Recovery was rough, and I was transferred to a specialized cancer center for further care. I started on oral treatment, but I wasn’t getting better and continued experiencing nausea, pain, and poor appetite. A follow-up scan revealed a tumor-bowel fistula and significant inflammation, which meant I needed a second surgery.
That second surgery was in April 2025. I advocated for better postoperative support and pain management, and the recovery went much more smoothly. There were still some setbacks — including an infected drain — but I eventually began to feel more stable. The best news? My pathology came back showing no cancer cells. I’m still on oral treatment and will be monitored with scans every few months. I’m hopeful I’ve made it through the worst of it.
Trip to Doha Qatar for the 2025 World Rapid/Blitz Championship
I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in December 2024 at age 35. I had recently graduated and landed a job after going back to school. I had worked my way through school, so I was looking forward to focusing just on work and having more time for friends, family, and travel. Treatment has put a pause on those plans.
I went to the doctor in December because I felt tired and had unusual bruises. They did blood tests and sent me to the hospital. That night, a doctor came in to tell me I had leukemia. I stayed in the hospital for over a month for my first round of treatment.
Since then, I’ve spent the last seven months in and out of the hospital, going through multiple rounds of inpatient chemotherapy and receiving a bone marrow transplant. My brother wasn’t a match, but I was lucky to find an anonymous donor. I’m currently recovering from the transplant and waiting to see what comes next in my treatment.
A trip with her girlfriend
I had pneumonia in September 2024, and a follow-up X-ray revealed something concerning. At school in October, I was told I likely had a blocked salivary gland. But after multiple referrals, scans, and eventually a surgical biopsy in December, I was diagnosed with NUT carcinoma — a very rare and aggressive form of cancer — just before the holidays.
Because of how rare this cancer is, there’s no standard treatment. In January 2025, I had a 12-hour surgery that included tumor removal, nerve reconstruction, and rebuilding part of my cheek using tissue from my arm. I spent seven days in the hospital recovering and had to use a feeding tube to protect the reconstruction.
After surgery, I underwent 33 sessions of proton radiation and six rounds of chemotherapy. I had a short break, but then started having back pain — scans revealed lesions in my spinal cord. I’m now preparing for additional treatment, including radiation, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy. A clinical trial is also being considered as part of my plan going forward.
Swim with manatees
I was diagnosed with ALL in June 2023. My job let me go when they found out, and I was unemployed for a year. It took a big financial toll being unemployed and attending the hospital daily for outpatient chemo treatment. I was 27 when this happened. I was a healthy person before — I never had any health issues. This was a sudden event that was traumatic for me and for my family and friends.
New laptop
This is my second fight with cancer. My first fight with cancer was in 2019, when I was falsely diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma. For that, I went through chemotherapy and radiation. Then in 2024, I walked with my daughter in February and unfortunately found out that I had cancer in October 2024, after suffering from vomiting for the past five months prior.
The first time I had cancer I was 16 turning 17, and my second time I was 22 years old. As of right now, I have had radiation to my back for one of my tumors, and I have surgery on July 2 to make radiation on my pancreas — the location of my second tumor — a lot easier.
Do something fun with her daughter
I was diagnosed initially at 31 when I had extreme bleeding. My boys were 10 months and 5 years old at the time. My husband had just gotten back from deployment and it was chaos from leaving our home and dogs for months before the military moved our things for us to Texas where I received treatment. Now, just a short 3 years later, I have relapsed and will have to have a transplant to hopefully have a better, long-lasting outcome. We do not plan to move back home for the sake of trying to keep normalcy for our children.
Trip to Orlando theme parks with her family
