I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Hypodiploid at age 6. At my local hospital, the Hematology/Oncology/BMT Floor is on the top floor of the hospital and the helipad is above on the roof. While I was in for my Bone Marrow Transplant, I was amazed when a helicopter would land on the helipad. My Dad is a Firefighter/Paramedic. I always enjoyed going on runs in an emergency where they would call the helicopter to transport the patient to the hospital. We would sit in the car and watch until the scene was safe for us to approach. Sometimes the firefighters would let me clean up the landing zone after the run. It made me feel like a huge helper and part of their team. But I was always amazed when that helicopter would land, load the patient quickly and take off to head to the hospital for care. When I was 7, I decided I wanted to become a Flight Nurse. I wanted to be on that helicopter flying to the scene of an emergency helping others at their worst. After all, I had already experienced others helping me at my worst, although a totally different circumstance. Until I was able to start pursuing my passion, I became passionate about giving back in ways that so many had given to me. I created my own foundation where I would host craft drives to collect craft items to donate to the Hematology/Oncology/BMT floor at the hospital. Doing crafts was something I loved while in the hospital and it really made the long days go by much faster. I have made almost 50 deliveries with all crafting items. I also donated $500 worth of gift cards to buy craft supplies. I knew I wanted to go to college for nursing and our local Career Center had a few programs to help me advance my education while in High School. I decided to enroll in the Health Technology & Nursing program. The program definitely enhanced my love for Nursing and by the end of my junior year, I began working at my local nursing home as a Nurses Aid. That summer, I passed my State Test and became an STNA. As I started my senior year of High School, I was ahead of my classmates so I was able to do a work release two days a week and gain work experience instead of attend class. I also have my phlebotomy certification. I am thankful I have been able to start my education for Nursing all while still in High School. After High School, I started attending BGSU for my Bachelors in Nursing Degree. I am also a cheerleader for the Falcons. My previous Nursing education has helped me excel in college and my work experience has helped me gain a new job as a Medical Assistant at a local hospital on the Oncology floor. But my true passion is to become a Flight Nurse after I get the needed 5 years’ experience necessary. I’ve held that dream since that age of seven and I plan to see it through!

I was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 6, a rare form of leukemia that my hospital had never treated before, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Hypodiploid. My chances of survival were slim and I had a bone marrow transplant just 5 months after diagnosis. The transplant was very rough on my body and I almost didn't survive. I spent 3 weeks in the ICU fighting for my life on a ventilator. But by the grace of God, I made it through and have the honor to say I am a survivor today. There are several great nurses, nurse practitioners and doctors that helped me get where I am today. In fact, I still keep in contact with many of them and always hope to run into the few that still work at the hospital during my yearly checkups. But my biggest influence in my health care career is my bone marrow donor, Sarah. Sarah is a nurse practitioner that had just completed nursing school and was working in the ICU at the time of her donation that saved my life. I was able to meet Sarah 8 years after my transplant and attend her wedding, which was just as much of a special day for me as it was for her. I lived in Ohio and traveled with my family to Sarah's wedding in Maryland. It felt like we had know each other forever and Sarah has become like a big sister to me. We now keep in contact daily and so many people tell me how much we look alike that we could actually be sisters. Sarah's selfless gift of life has allowed me to live 13 more years to date and experience so much. I want to be able to give back to others like she did to me. I want to be the reason someone else is able to live. I owe so much to Sarah but I know I will never be able to repay her for the gift she gave me. I want to be able to show her that she has influenced me to give back to the medical field that saved my life. I hope that I am as great of a nurse as Sarah is one day. When I was in the hospital, the helipad was on the floor above my room. I would always see the helicopter coming and going and it always fascinated me. My dad is a firefighter/paramedic and the pagers were always going off at our house as a kid. I would get excited when a run would include a helicopter and ask if I could ride along to the scene. At the age of 7, I decided I wanted to be a flight nurse. This has stuck with me today and that is my goal. I want to work in the ER to get the critical care training I need to help those that are severely hurt and need transported rapidly. I feel my past experiences can help me provide comfort care and compassion to those in emergency situations. I can't wait to finish nursing school to be able to achieve my dream job!

I was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 6, a rare form of leukemia that my hospital had never treated before, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Hypodiploid. My chances of survival were slim and I had a bone marrow transplant just 5 months after diagnosis. The transplant was very rough on my body and I almost didn't survive. I spent 3 weeks in the ICU fighting for my life on a ventilator. But by the grace of God, I made it through and have the honor to say I am a survivor today. While in treatment, I met several other kids that had different kinds of cancer. I started attending camp a few years after my diagnosis for survivors of cancer, where I met my now best friend Emily. Emily was diagnosed with brain cancer at the young age of 2. She had surgery to remove most of her tumor but the doctors were unable to get all of the tumor, due to the location, so Emily has been living with a tumor on her brain for most of her life. But to me, Emily was just another normal kid like me. Loving life and living everyday to the fullest. Emily and I looked forward to every event we would be able to see each other at as she lived in Northern Ohio and I lived in Central Ohio. Our parents became friends and we would plan events outside our cancer related events so we could get together more often. It was just so easy to hang out with someone that knew about the struggles of cancer you experienced and didn't judge you for them. Emily became the best of friends, attending family vacations together and getting together every chance we got. She is still one of my best friends today. To date, I have made over 50 deliveries of craft items, gift cards and toys to the hospital. I enjoy my deliveries as they give me hope that the kids in he hospital are having fun and getting better from their illness. While in treatment, my favorite thing to do was crafts. After I was out of the hospital, I formed a foundation, Kinley's Krafts where I host craft drives and donate craft items directly to the oncology floor at the hospital so the kids can experience the same joy I had while in the hospital. Crafting was a fun outlet for me to escape treatment and the everyday reality of being sick. I wanted the kids that were currently facing treatment to have that same escape. This scholarship will help me fund my education in becoming a Registered Nurse. I am currently a STNA and work as a Medical Assistant at my local hospital on the Oncology floor. I enjoy helping the patients that are going through cancer treatment and feel I can relate to them in so many ways. They inspire me to be a better nurse and bring hope for my future in nursing.

I was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 6, a rare form of leukemia that my hospital had never treated before, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Hypodiploid. My chances of survival were slim and I had a bone marrow transplant just 5 months after diagnosis. The transplant was very rough on my body and I almost didn't survive. I spent 3 weeks in the ICU fighting for my life on a ventilator. But by the grace of God, I made it through and have the honor to say I am a survivor today. There are several great nurses, nurse practitioners and doctors that helped me get where I am today. In fact, I still keep in contact with many of them and always hope to run into the few that still work at the hospital during my yearly checkups. But my biggest influence in my health care career is my bone marrow donor, Sarah. Sarah is a nurse practitioner that had just completed nursing school and was working in the ICU at the time of her donation that saved my life. I was able to meet Sarah 8 years after my transplant and attend her wedding, which was just as much of a special day for me as it was for her. I lived in Ohio and traveled with my family to Sarah's wedding in Maryland. It felt like we had know each other forever and Sarah has become like a big sister to me. We now keep in contact daily and so many people tell me how much we look alike that we could actually be sisters. Sarah's selfless gift of life has allowed me to live 13 more years to date and experience so much. I want to be able to give back to others like she did to me. I want to be the reason someone else is able to live. I owe so much to Sarah but I know I will never be able to repay her for the gift she gave me. I want to be able to show her that she has influenced me to give back to the medical field that saved my life. I hope that I am as great of a nurse as Sarah is one day. When I was in the hospital, the helipad was on the floor above my room. I would always see the helicopter coming and going and it always fascinated me. My dad is a firefighter/paramedic and the pagers were always going off at our house as a kid. I would get excited when a run would include a helicopter and ask if I could ride along to the scene. At the age of 7, I decided I wanted to be a flight nurse. This has stuck with me today and that is my goal. I want to work in the ER to get the critical care training I need to help those that are severely hurt and need transported rapidly. I feel my past experiences can help me provide comfort care and compassion to those in emergency situations. I can't wait to finish nursing school to be able to achieve my dream job!

I was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 6, a rare form of leukemia that my hospital had never treated before, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Hypodiploid. My chances of survival were slim and I had a bone marrow transplant just 5 months after diagnosis. The transplant was very rough on my body and I almost didn't survive. I spent 3 weeks in the ICU fighting for my life on a ventilator. But by the grace of God, I made it through and have the honor to say I am a survivor today. There are several great nurses, nurse practitioners and doctors that helped me get where I am today. In fact, I still keep in contact with many of them and always hope to run into the few that still work at the hospital during my yearly checkups. But my biggest influence in my health care career is my bone marrow donor, Sarah. Sarah is a nurse practitioner that had just completed nursing school and was working in the ICU at the time of her donation that saved my life. I was able to meet Sarah 8 years after my transplant and attend her wedding, which was just as much of a special day for me as it was for her. I lived in Ohio and traveled with my family to Sarah's wedding in Maryland. It felt like we had know each other forever and Sarah has become like a big sister to me. We now keep in contact daily and so many people tell me how much we look alike that we could actually be sisters. Sarah's selfless gift of life has allowed me to live 13 more years to date and experience so much. I want to be able to give back to others like she did to me. I want to be the reason someone else is able to live. I owe so much to Sarah but I know I will never be able to repay her for the gift she gave me. I want to be able to show her that she has influenced me to give back to the medical field that saved my life. I hope that I am as great of a nurse as Sarah is one day. When I was in the hospital, the helipad was on the floor above my room. I would always see the helicopter coming and going and it always fascinated me. My dad is a firefighter/paramedic and the pagers were always going off at our house as a kid. I would get excited when a run would include a helicopter and ask if I could ride along to the scene. At the age of 7, I decided I wanted to be a flight nurse. This has stuck with me today and that is my goal. I want to work in the ER to get the critical care training I need to help those that are severely hurt and need transported rapidly. I feel my past experiences can help me provide comfort care and compassion to those in emergency situations. I can't wait to finish nursing school to be able to achieve my dream job!