Meet Spencer: 2022 College 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.
Spencer’s Story
“I was diagnosed at four years old with Ewing’s Sarcoma in the soft tissue above my right eyeball, which is extremely rare, and the survival rate is very low,” said Spencer.
Relapse at age six required the complete removal of one eye.
“If I wanted any chance to live, this procedure was a must. So, they removed my eye,” he told us. “That has been very difficult for me, but it has also turned me into a very strong, compassionate young man.”
It also first inspired his interest in engineering -- specifically vision prosthetics, with a dream of one day helping to create an artificial eye that works for him and for others.
“I know that I am just one person, but one person can truly start a trend. My end goal is to find more cures for other children like myself that have had to battle this awful disease.”
Spencer’s Advocacy Project
For his advocacy project, Spencer plans to lead a letter-writing campaign to the Governor of Arizona, requesting a proclamation recognizing September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
“It is very sad to see how few people know that yellow represents childhood cancer, and that September is childhood cancer awareness month,” says Spencer. “My hope is that by increasing childhood cancer awareness throughout Arizona and the nation, there will be more research and new therapies developed, with the ultimate goal of finding new cures.”