Kyla Jo Burridge Memorial Scholarship for Brain Cancer Awareness and Support

I rang the bell on October 26, 2018. Although all I had to do was move my arm, it stood for so much more. It was the first time I was officially cancer free, the culmination of years of seizures, a brain surgery, and proton radiation treatment. My brain tumor story began in the summer going into fourth grade, yet it would take three years before doctors were able to find the cause of my seizures, a grade three Anaplastic Pleomorphic Xanthoastrocytoma. That golf ball sized tumor in my temporal lobe is what caused me to have approximately three seizures a day. Throughout sixth grade, I remember how sleepy I was due to the medication I was taking. I would leave for school just to come right back home after falling asleep in my first class. Nevertheless, I was determined to not let cancer have an impact on my life so even when it was hard to stay awake, I worked harder to achieve all A’s. It was tough to continue playing my two sports while having seizures on the court, but I was tougher. Doctors were able to successfully remove my tumor, but pathology revealed that it was more aggressive than previously thought. This meant that I had to leave school early every day in seventh grade for radiation treatment, presenting another set of academic and personal challenges. As a result of these challenges that I faced, I push myself to work extra hard and challenge myself with difficult courses, because I can remember how hard it was to simply attend school. In my eyes, I have no excuse because if I can manage to get all A’s while battling cancer, I have no limit to my education. It is my devotion towards education and the exposure I’ve had to neurology that makes me certain I will one day be on the other end of the scalpel helping other fighters like me. The adversity I faced while battling brain cancer has led me to organize a 5K in my community every year as an advocate and fundraiser for the ABTA (American Brain Tumor Association). I’ve raised a total of over $28,000 for the ABTA in the past four years. I planned and managed all aspects of hosting the annual event for over 70 people, executed the logistics on race day, and participated in the race by running (or rollerblading) the course every year. I continue to support survivors and their families through my work as a volunteer and mentor with the Cancer Hope Network by offering a safe, empathetic space for mentees to discuss their fears, struggles, and triumphs throughout their cancer journey. My ability to create bonds with people, no matter the situation, is something that I know I will carry with me throughout my life and is something that will open up many doors. I have already had multiple opportunities to shadow my neurosurgeon and the experience has left me certain that I will work in the OR one day. Looking back on my battle against cancer, there were times when it took thirty minutes to swallow my medication, when I was in pain after surgery, when plastic melted onto my face during radiation treatment, when I wanted to quit. But when I see myself, I see a lucky kid. I believe our perspective can control our luck, despite the fact that luck is seen as something uncontrollable. I hope to spread that luck to many others, especially children struggling as I once did, so that they can live a life as full as mine.

My sister was diagnosed with a tumor in her spinal cord that then spread to her brain when she was fifteen and I was thirteen. Watching my best friend go through having cancer, especially when it spread to her brain, was extremely terrifying and devastating. Watching her lose her ability to do things, and eventually lose her vision are traumatic events that I will never, ever be able to forget. I vividly remember how scared she was when she started to lose her vision and also how bad her headaches were. She would always ask me to brush her hair with a certain brush to try to make the headaches better. Although she was in pain and that was my small way of trying to help, those are special times I will always treasure because we had great talks, just the two of us. My perspective of brain cancer is very real. My sister was home full time the last five months of her life and I will do anything possible to spread awareness of brain cancer, especially pediatric cancer. My family created a foundation in her memory and we raise money for pediatric cancer research and to help local families with a child going through treatment. We have had this foundation for 3 years and each year our research money has gone to pediatric cancer research labs that are working on DIPG/DMG cancer. We fundraise the most in June with our big sand volleyball tournament and then also in September for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. My sister became paralyzed after her second surgery and was inpatient for about seven months. She also attended outpatient therapy when she was not inpatient. I was with her for a lot of her physical and occupational therapy sessions and saw how important therapies were for her. I want to be able to help other kids who are faced with a cancer diagnosis so they are able to achieve and live their life, knowing I am going to help achieve and be their biggest supporter. My sister learned to walk again before things got worse and she went to Heaven and that is because of the expertise, care, and support of her therapists. I want to be an occupational therapist for this reason and am dedicated to helping others achieve their goals. Additionally, I will continue to be active in our foundation in her memory and help grow it and attend events to raise awareness so there can someday be a cure.