Ten years ago I was diagnosed with Wilm’s Tumor Cancer in my right kidney and other organs. At seven years old, I was above the average age for the disease, which caused the cancer to spread throughout my torso and made a two hour surgery last 8 and a half hours, leaving a scar of almost a foot long. Spending second grade year in a hospital away from home was very challenging, at such a young age I was exposed to so many things that no one should ever be exposed to. Transitioning from a healthy dancer into someone who could not even leave their house was extremely rough.
Going through this tough experience has helped me so much as a person, and I would not be who I am today if it did not happen to me. Having cancer gave me so many opportunities to meet new people and travel to different places with my hospital and other cancer survivors. It showed me that not everything will go the way you had planned, and that anything worth doing is going to take time and effort – nothing will be handed to you. It also opened my eyes to the career I am determined to pursue for the rest of my life.
In the hospital, my Child Life Specialist showed me that anything was possible, and she helped me understand what was truly happening inside my body with my illness. I want to become a CLS to be a friend to those who need it most during their hard times; to be able to explain to the patient and their family what is going on and how to handle the changes. I also love this job because it does not require you to take blood or vitals from the patient, and you are not allowed to wear scrubs – to the child you are just another friendly face in the hospital. The experience that I had with my cancer opened my eyes to other opportunities in the world. I was able to go to Wyoming and Montana with my hospital and seven other hand-picked long term survivors for eight technology-free days, which was a truly life changing experience.
In high school I did five extra-curricular activities that are based on volunteering. Two of those clubs are focused on helping people in need and giving back to our community, and now in college I am in a Childhood Cancer Awareness club that volunteers on a more personal hands-on level. This scholarship is important to me because it feels amazing to be acknowledged for the hardships that were faced at such an early age. This scholarship will give me the opportunity to continue college and help future patients, and that small difference can mean the world to someone struggling, just as it did to me. Having cancer was truly a blessing in disguise, and I can not wait to be able to help children and their families the way that I was helped.
My parents had bought many things over their 15 years of marriage at the point before I was diagnosed: a motorcycle, camper, four-wheelers, and many toys for me and my two older sibling; all of which, were liquidated in less than three months to ensure that I could receive surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Since seven years old, I have made school a priority to ensure a high GPA for as many scholarships as possible. After going through this tough experience has helped me so much as a person, and I would not be who I am today if it did not happen to me. When my sister graduated, she had to pay for college with her own money, and I saw her struggle at times since she did not have the GPA to receive any scholarships, which motivated me even more to get high grades.
More recently, my dad quit his corporate job and created a landscaping business to be able to spend more time with my family. Because of this, we lost his income and had to move out of our house, and did not find another house in time. Before moving on campus at LSU, we were living with friends and my Grandmother. Currently, my brother is in jail and my sister has to live at home because of extreme anxiety and depression. I know that any money I receive through scholarships will help me and my family through this extremely tough time.
~~Mia Chiasson