Breast Cancer Awareness Scholarship in Memory of Martha Dickinson

The phone call that told me my mother had breast cancer came on an ordinary Tuesday while I was finishing geometry homework at the kitchen table. One sentence from the doctor changed everything. Her diagnosis, HER2 positive and estrogen receptor positive, pulled our family into months of scans, surgery, and chemotherapy. Volleyball tournaments turned into worksheets completed beside an IV pole. I learned that courage can sound like a nurse saying “one more deep breath,” and that love can fit inside a sticky note that reads “You’ve got this, Mom.” Living through those months has shaped who I am. I now volunteer at Frederick Health’s infusion center, handing out warm blankets and conversation because I remember how much that kindness helped my mother. I also started Book Buddies for Hope, a summer book drive that supplies picture books to the oncology lounge so younger siblings have something bright to hold. Most important, I found my calling. This fall I will study nursing at the University of Tampa, and afterward I plan to earn a doctorate in nurse anesthesia so I can guide patients through the toughest days of their lives. Cancer can be relentless, but it is not unbeatable. Prevention begins with daily habits: eating whole foods, moving at least thirty minutes a day, limiting added sugar, sleeping enough, and protecting skin from the sun. Knowledge matters just as much. Each October I organize a Pink Out volleyball match that raises money for research and teaches classmates how to perform monthly self-examinations. For adults I encourage regular clinical exams and yearly mammograms starting at forty, or earlier when family history calls for it, because early detection turns statistics into second chances. Genetic testing offers another layer of protection. After my mother’s diagnosis, her oncologist ordered a multigene panel. She tested negative for BRCA, but the process still empowered us. Her sisters now stagger their mammograms so someone in the family is always being screened, and I will begin clinical breast exams at eighteen instead of twenty-five. Understanding our genes turns worry into a plan and helps doctors choose targeted treatments if cancer ever returns. I believe I deserve the Martha Dickinson Scholarship because I am already turning hardship into service and will expand that impact through my career. Medical bills from my mother’s treatment tightened our budget, yet they never tightened her smile. This award would ease my first-year tuition and allow me to accept an unpaid hospital internship rather than a retail job, giving me more hours at the bedside where I belong. Like Mrs. Dickinson, my mom kept teaching her second graders until treatment became too tiring, and her resilience guides how I study, serve, and dream. Breast cancer changed my story, but it will not write the ending. With healthy choices, genetic insight, and the support of a scholarship that honors Martha Dickinson’s spirit, I will help other families turn pages of fear into chapters of hope.

I was in fifth grade when I found out my mom was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. She was 38 and the cancer had spread to every bone in her body. At the time, I could not see the good that was going to come of this terrible situation. But looking back over the past nine years, I realize I was wrong. I struggled to cope with her diagnosis, but my mom helped me to re-evaluate my perspective. She said that no amount of worrying we do or anger we have would change the situation. She said we would make memories together with whatever time she had left. Cancer taught me to stop worrying about minor problems and truly appreciate the little things. My mom had 6 rounds of chemotherapy. She couldn’t eat because everything tasted terrible, and she started losing weight. January 2016 brought the last round of chemotherapy, but she would have to continue targeted therapy for the rest of her life. A scan done eight weeks later showed there was no active cancer. She had a double mastectomy in March of 2016 and enjoyed four years of remission until her first brain tumor was discovered in 2019. I was a freshman in high school, and since I was older, my parents were more forthcoming with information. They met with doctors and came up with a treatment plan which included targeted brain radiation, with few side effects and a high success rate. She made it through without issue. Cancer is part of my life. It is a lifelong battle for my mother. The perspective I have gained has given me a different outlook. Most people think that nothing good can come out of a cancer diagnosis. I beg to differ. Had we not faced this challenge, we would have continued to not prioritize the things most important. When you are faced with the concept of death, you live life differently. Standing alongside my mother in her cancer journey inspired a career in nursing. I noticed the care exerted by nurses taking care of my mom. Whether it was bringing a warm blanket or even crying with my mom when she got back an unfavorable test result, the nurses have assisted through the rigorous chronic treatment over the last nine years and helped relieve the relentless pressures that accompany it. It made me want to help too. Chadwick Boseman, a late American actor that died from cancer, said in a commencement speech at Howard University, "The struggles along the way are only meant to shape you for your purpose." This is precisely true for me. Knowledge IS power and that is why I am meeting with a breast surgeon in December to evaluate my own risk for breast cancer. This includes a breast MRI to evaluate the type of tissue I have and genetic testing. My mothers genetic testing was negative in 2015 but technology has changed and it may be able to provide additional information. This is especially important for me because both of my grandmothers were also diagnosed with breast cancer. Going through this process at age 19 is overwhelming, but thanks to advances in treatment of breast cancer, my mom will be there to support me. Despite the challenges I had faced accompanying my mother’s diagnosis, I graduated high school with a 5.18 GPA while volunteering in the NICU at a local hospital and working at a retirement community. I was directly admitted into the nursing program at UTK and have maintained this level of success in college, finishing my first semester with a 3.98 GPA.