I was twelve years old when I was diagnosed with leukemia on November 14, 2018. I started treatment the very next day, and for the next two and a half years, I spent numerous days in the hospital for procedures and chemotherapy. My family and I learned the hard way that the medications used to treat pediatric cancer are sometimes difficult for the hospital to get.

For six months I had to stop seeing my friends and couldn’t leave my house for anything other than treatment since I was severely immunocompromised. I felt sick a LOT of the time, and I lost my hair.

Luckily, I had many wonderful people supporting me throughout my treatment. It was the help of my friends and family that would shine a light through my darkest times. Those around me did everything they could to make life better before it could get any worse. By the end of my treatment, I would meet so many people who would forever change my life. Three other kids getting cancer treatment became some of my best friends. One of us didn’t survive cancer, and the other 3 served as pallbearers for her funeral. That was hard.

Eventually I finished my treatment, I beat my cancer, and I rang the bell on March 6, 2021. If I could share any advice, it would be to just keep smiling. Laughter is the best medicine.