"If you had the choice, would you have chosen to never get cancer?” I am often confronted with this question by others or my brain at night before I fall asleep. Although I know the choice would never be mine, my answer remains consistent each time: no. At the age of 16, overcoming the reality of having osteosarcoma revealed itself to be harder than only putting on a brave face. Instead of going to homecoming, learning to drive, and running with my team, seemingly endless rounds of chemo filled my time. I felt each strand of hair fall alongside the tears from my eyes and witnessed my body change from the continuous stress forced upon it. This led to weeks in the hospital because of chemo complications all the while having to accept that due to the tumor, the surgery I required would leave me permanently disabled. The urge to throw in the towel and become a perpetual victim to my circumstances would have begun the slow death of my indomitable human spirit. In the sea of bad news that suddenly flooded my life, resilience and a newfound perspective kept me afloat throughout the worst of chemotherapy. I lacked balance of weakness and strength until I came to realize that true strength comes from being vulnerable around others and allowing myself to be upset. As luck would have it, everyone around me made the most of my situation by laughing with me, comforting me, and remaining at my side. At the time, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. The grand question loomed over me despite the bigger issues at hand. The blurry image of my future came into focus the moment I met Jane, the child life specialist. Every Friday, Jane held “Teen Group” in the playroom which allowed oncology patients to escape their rooms and socialize. We made crafts, joked about cancer, and most importantly- we felt safe enough to be open about our struggles. Our families became intertwined in each other’s lives and celebrated each time one of us ended chemo until I was the last patient left of the original Teen Group. Towards the end of treatment, that looming question came up again. I felt drawn to a passion so cathartic in nature that I could not believe I had found it in a place once void of anticipation for the future. I wanted to become a child life specialist. Jane supported me in a way that I would forget why I was even in the hospital. I hope to emulate Jane's joy and compassion that she showed all patients which is possible through furthering my education which could be funded by this scholarship. I am currently in the child life program at Bloomsburg University. There are plenty of patients struggling in the way I did but I know there can be laughter, creativity, and expression in the hospital. Cancer takes and takes in so many ways which I am reminded of every day. By enduring cancer in the way that I did, my greatest lessons came from my biggest struggles. I have the resilience to overcome future challenges because I make the best of any situation. I am much more than what I ever hoped to have become. If given the choice, knowing all that I know now, I still wouldn’t revoke the nine months of mental and physical challenge I faced because it shaped the trajectory of my life in such a way that the lack of lessons I learned would be detrimental to who I am today.