Meet Kevin: 2023 Scholar
Our College Scholars receive a financial scholarship to help with academic expenses, and each scholar commits to undertaking a volunteer project of their choosing related to childhood cancer advocacy, with support and mentorship from the Children's Cancer Cause team.
Kevin’s Story
Kevin, of West Windsor, New Jersey, was diagnosed with Non Hodgkins T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma at age 12.
“I had noticed I was suffocating during swim practice, a sport where you are meant to hold your breath,” Kevin remembers. “After many visits and a misdiagnosis of asthma, I finally tossed aside the useless inhaler that I abused to no avail during swim competitions, hoping for a solution to my problem. I’d found myself in the ER waiting for my parents who were pulled out to talk to doctors. With my phone dead, I tried to pick up my mom’s phone to distract myself. But the first thing I saw was an article about cancer. My brain struggled to connect the two dots as something so foreign and harmful existing in my life had never even crossed my mind yet it was from then that my journey began.”
After Kevin’s successful battle against lymphoma, he jumped right back in as a highly engaged student, serving as class council vice president in high school, a competitive swimmer, and a volunteer with hospitals and cancer nonprofit organizations.
He is studying cellular biology at NYU, a field that he is already well prepared for with experiences like the Rutgers University MiniMed Program and the Johns Hopkins Medical Summer Program.
“I think that raising awareness and providing support for the mental health of cancer patients is incredibly undervalued. Because cancer is so rare, it is hard to find people who can truly relate to you.”
Kevin’s Advocacy Project
Because humor helped Kevin cope with his diagnosis and treatment, he plans to create a website that puts a comedic spin on cancer experiences like his for his scholarship volunteer project.
“Cancer tests the limits of self esteem, image, and mental prowess. I learned to adapt to cancer by incorporating humor into every battle,” Kevin explains.
“My dysmorphic port scar looked like another nipple so I pretended it was my third nipple to make myself laugh. When three stubborn strands of hair never fell out, I would sarcastically tell my parents how I had so much hair. When my arms swelled after a severe blood clot, I posed like Popeye the sailor man.”
Kevin hopes his website will be a place where kids can submit humorous stories about their tough experiences with medical battles. Each experience can teach others how to deal with their hardships, lightening attitudes and transforming perspectives. We’ll share his site here when it is ready!