When you are thirteen and diagnosed with Stage III Hodgkin Lymphoma, the future is not guaranteed. Leading up to my diagnosis I was just a regular kid, going to school, hanging out with friends, and swimming on my club swim team but I knew something was wrong. I had been losing weight and I had a cough I couldn’t get rid of. I started researching my symptoms on the internet and came up with several different diagnoses, but I never expected to hear the words “You have cancer”. Those three words changed my life forever. One day I was competing in a championship swim meet and two days later I was diagnosed with cancer. I went through five aggressive rounds of chemo, and I am now five years in remission. My cancer has forever changed me as a person and the trajectory of my life, but it is just a chapter in my story, not the whole book. As the years have passed and I am further out from treatment, my life isn’t doesn’t revolve around my cancer anymore. My diagnosis is no longer the first thing I think about when I wake up or the last thing I think about before I fall asleep. Beating cancer is the greatest accomplishment of my life, and because of my experience, I intend to become a pediatric oncology nurse. I loved all my nurses, but I only had one male nurse during my entire course of treatment. His name was Adam and meeting him changed my life. I was able to connect with Adam on a deeper level because we were both guys. We talked about sports, movies, girls, and just overall guy stuff. He became my inspiration for wanting to become a nurse. My whole world had been flipped upside down and he talked to me like a regular kid, not the kid with cancer. I felt such a connection with him, and I knew right then and there that I wanted to be a nurse like Adam. Being a cancer survivor puts me in a unique position to relate to patients, pediatric patients especially. I understand the importance of the nurse/patient connection and it goes beyond shots and medications. Sick kids are still just kids and I appreciated that my nurses never forgot that. They would ask me about school and my swim team, we would talk about books or TV shows or movies I was watching. We would laugh and honestly, except for my mom, there were very few tears. The nurses went above and beyond to help me forget I was sitting in a chair with chemotherapy running through my veins. My nurses have left a lasting impression on me, Adam in particular, and I want to be that person for someone else. Currently, I am a direct-admit BSN sophomore at West Virginia University. I hold a 3.87 and I was named to the President’s List both semesters freshman year and named to the Dean’s List fall of sophomore year. I am a member of the Student Nurse Association and I volunteer for Kisses for Kyle, a childhood cancer foundation. One of the reasons I applied to WVU is the new WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital. Upon graduation I hope to work at WVU Children’s Hospital in oncology, I want to be that nurse who inspires others to go into the nursing field like Adam did for me. If I can help just one cancer warrior not feel so scared and alone, I will consider myself a successful nurse.

When you are thirteen and diagnosed with Stage III Hodgkin Lymphoma, the future is not guaranteed. Leading up to my diagnosis I was just a regular kid, going to school, hanging out with friends, and swimming on my club swim team but I knew something was wrong. I had been losing weight and I had a cough I couldn’t get rid of. I started researching my symptoms on the internet and came up with several different diagnoses, but I never expected to hear the words “You have cancer”. Those three words changed my life forever. One day I was competing in a championship swim meet and two days later I was diagnosed with cancer. I went through five aggressive rounds of chemo, and I am now five years in remission. My cancer has forever changed me as a person and the trajectory of my life, but it is just a chapter in my story, not the whole book. As the years have passed and I am further out from treatment, my life isn’t doesn’t revolve around my cancer anymore. My diagnosis is no longer the first thing I think about when I wake up or the last thing I think about before I fall asleep. Beating cancer is the greatest accomplishment of my life, and because of my experience, I intend to become a pediatric oncology nurse. I loved all my nurses, but I only had one male nurse during my entire course of treatment. His name was Adam and meeting him changed my life. I was able to connect with Adam on a deeper level because we were both guys. We talked about sports, movies, girls, and just overall guy stuff. He became my inspiration for wanting to become a nurse. My whole world had been flipped upside down and he talked to me like a regular kid, not the kid with cancer. I felt such a connection with him, and I knew right then and there that I wanted to be a nurse like Adam. Currently, I am a direct-admit BSN sophomore at West Virginia University. I hold a 3.87 and I was named to the President’s List both semesters freshman year and named to the Dean’s List fall of sophomore year. I am a member of the Student Nurse Association and I volunteer for Kisses for Kyle, a childhood cancer foundation. I realize attending college is a privilege and unfortunately not everyone can afford to go. With my ongoing medical expenses, the ability to save has been limited, and despite what my parents have put aside and what I earned waiting tables throughout high school and summer vacations, it is not enough for me to receive a four-year education without taking on significant debt. While I am at college my family will continue to save what they can but they are also putting money aside for my sisters education. Over the breaks and summer, I worked at my local diner, and I was also a swim team coach, working these jobs is helping me to pay for some of my college expenses. I also work while I am at school; I am a lifeguard and I work between six and twelve hours a week. This summer I plan on coaching again and working at a hospital as a Clinical Assistant (CA). Receiving the Morgan Levine Dolan Community Service Scholarship would allow me to offset some of the expenses of college so I can focus on my education and not worry so much about a large student loan debt once I graduate.

When you are thirteen and diagnosed with Stage III Hodgkin Lymphoma, the future is not guaranteed. Leading up to my diagnosis I was just a regular kid, going to school, hanging out with friends, and swimming on my club swim team but I knew something was wrong. I had been losing weight and I had a cough I couldn’t get rid of. I started researching my symptoms on the internet and came up with several different diagnoses, but I never expected to hear the words “You have cancer”. Those three words changed my life forever. One day I was competing in a championship swim meet and two days later I was diagnosed with cancer. I went through five aggressive rounds of chemo, and I am now five years in remission. My cancer has forever changed me as a person and the trajectory of my life, but it is just a chapter in my story, not the whole book. As the years have passed and I am further out from treatment, my life isn’t doesn’t revolve around my cancer anymore. My diagnosis is no longer the first thing I think about when I wake up or the last thing I think about before I fall asleep. Beating cancer is the greatest accomplishment of my life, and because of my experience, I intend to become a pediatric oncology nurse. I loved all my nurses, but I only had one male nurse during my entire course of treatment. His name was Adam and meeting him changed my life. I was able to connect with Adam on a deeper level because we were both guys. We talked about sports, movies, girls, and just overall guy stuff. He became my inspiration for wanting to become a nurse. My whole world had been flipped upside down and he talked to me like a regular kid, not the kid with cancer. I felt such a connection with him, and I knew right then and there that I wanted to be a nurse like Adam. Being a cancer survivor puts me in a unique position to relate to patients, pediatric patients especially. I understand the importance of the nurse/patient connection and it goes beyond shots and medications. Sick kids are still just kids and I appreciated that my nurses never forgot that. They would ask me about school and my swim team, we would talk about books or TV shows or movies I was watching. We would laugh and honestly, except for my mom, there were very few tears. The nurses went above and beyond to help me forget I was sitting in a chair with chemotherapy running through my veins. My nurses have left a lasting impression on me, Adam in particular, and I want to be that person for someone else. Currently, I am a direct-admit BSN sophomore at West Virginia University. I hold a 3.87 and I was named to the President’s List both semesters freshman year and named to the Dean’s List fall of sophomore year. I am a member of the Student Nurse Association and I volunteer for Kisses for Kyle, a childhood cancer foundation. One of the reasons I applied to WVU is the new WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital. Upon graduation I hope to work at WVU Children’s Hospital in oncology, I want to be that nurse who inspires others to go into the nursing field like Adam did for me. If I can help just one cancer warrior not feel so scared and alone, I will consider myself a successful nurse.

When you are thirteen and diagnosed with Stage III Hodgkin Lymphoma, the future is not guaranteed. Leading up to my diagnosis I was just a regular kid, going to school, hanging out with friends, and swimming on my club swim team but I knew something was wrong. I had been losing weight and I had a cough I couldn’t get rid of. I started researching my symptoms on the internet and came up with several different diagnoses, but I never expected to hear the words “You have cancer”. Those three words changed my life forever. One day I was competing in a championship swim meet and two days later I was diagnosed with cancer. I went through five aggressive rounds of chemo, and I am now five years in remission. My cancer has forever changed me as a person and the trajectory of my life, but it is just a chapter in my story, not the whole book. As the years have passed and I am further out from treatment, my life isn’t doesn’t revolve around my cancer anymore. My diagnosis is no longer the first thing I think about when I wake up or the last thing I think about before I fall asleep. Beating cancer is the greatest accomplishment of my life, and because of my experience, I intend to become a pediatric oncology nurse. I loved all my nurses, but I only had one male nurse during my entire course of treatment. His name was Adam and meeting him changed my life. I was able to connect with Adam on a deeper level because we were both guys. We talked about sports, movies, girls, and just overall guy stuff. He became my inspiration for wanting to become a nurse. My whole world had been flipped upside down and he talked to me like a regular kid, not the kid with cancer. I felt such a connection with him, and I knew right then and there that I wanted to be a nurse like Adam. Being a cancer survivor puts me in a unique position to relate to patients, pediatric patients especially. I understand the importance of the nurse/patient connection and it goes beyond shots and medications. Sick kids are still just kids and I appreciated that my nurses never forgot that. They would ask me about school and my swim team, we would talk about books or TV shows or movies I was watching. We would laugh and honestly, except for my mom, there were very few tears. The nurses went above and beyond to help me forget I was sitting in a chair with chemotherapy running through my veins. My nurses have left a lasting impression on me, Adam in particular, and I want to be that person for someone else. Currently, I am a direct-admit BSN sophomore at West Virginia University. I hold a 4.0 and I was named to the President’s List both semesters freshman year. I am a member of the Student Nurse Association and I volunteer for Kisses for Kyle, a childhood cancer foundation. One of the reasons I applied to WVU is the new WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital. Upon graduation I hope to work at WVU Children’s Hospital in oncology, I want to be that nurse who inspires others to go into the nursing field like Adam did for me. If I can help just one cancer warrior not feel so scared and alone, I will consider myself a successful nurse.

When you are thirteen and diagnosed with Stage III Hodgkin Lymphoma, the future is not guaranteed. Leading up to my diagnosis I was just a regular kid, going to school, hanging out with friends, and swimming on my club swim team but I knew something was wrong. I had been losing weight and I had a cough I couldn’t get rid of. I started researching my symptoms on the internet and came up with several different diagnoses, but I never expected to hear the words “You have cancer”. Those three words changed my life forever. One day I was competing in a championship swim meet and two days later I was diagnosed with cancer. I went through five aggressive rounds of chemo, and I am now five years in remission. My cancer has forever changed me as a person and the trajectory of my life, but it is just a chapter in my story, not the whole book. As the years have passed and I am further out from treatment, my life isn’t doesn’t revolve around my cancer anymore. My diagnosis is no longer the first thing I think about when I wake up or the last thing I think about before I fall asleep. Beating cancer is the greatest accomplishment of my life, and because of my experience, I intend to become a pediatric oncology nurse. I loved all my nurses, but I only had one male nurse during my entire course of treatment. His name was Adam and meeting him changed my life. I was able to connect with Adam on a deeper level because we were both guys. We talked about sports, movies, girls, and just overall guy stuff. He became my inspiration for wanting to become a nurse. My whole world had been flipped upside down and he talked to me like a regular kid, not the kid with cancer. I felt such a connection with him, and I knew right then and there that I wanted to be a nurse like Adam. Being a cancer survivor puts me in a unique position to relate to patients, pediatric patients especially. I understand the importance of the nurse/patient connection and it goes beyond shots and medications. Sick kids are still just kids and I appreciated that my nurses never forgot that. They would ask me about school and my swim team, we would talk about books or TV shows or movies I was watching. We would laugh and honestly, except for my mom, there were very few tears. The nurses went above and beyond to help me forget I was sitting in a chair with chemotherapy running through my veins. My nurses have left a lasting impression on me, Adam in particular, and I want to be that person for someone else. Currently, I am a direct-admit BSN sophomore at West Virginia University. I hold a 4.0 and I was named to the President’s List both semesters freshman year. I am a member of the Student Nurse Association and I volunteer for Kisses for Kyle, a childhood cancer foundation. One of the reasons I applied to WVU is the new WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital. Upon graduation I hope to work at WVU Children’s Hospital in oncology, I want to be that nurse who inspires others to go into the nursing field like Adam did for me. If I can help just one cancer warrior not feel so scared and alone, I will consider myself a successful nurse.

When you are thirteen and diagnosed with Stage III Hodgkin Lymphoma, the future is not guaranteed. Leading up to my diagnosis I was just a regular kid, going to school, hanging out with friends, and swimming on my club swim team but I knew something was wrong. I had been losing weight and I had a cough I couldn’t get rid of. I started researching my symptoms on the internet and came up with several different diagnoses, but I never expected to hear the words “You have cancer”. Those three words changed my life forever. One day I was competing in a championship swim meet and two days later I was diagnosed with cancer. I went through five aggressive rounds of chemo, and I am now five years in remission. My cancer has forever changed me as a person and the trajectory of my life, but it is just a chapter in my story, not the whole book. As the years have passed and I am further out from treatment, my life isn’t doesn’t revolve around my cancer anymore. My diagnosis is no longer the first thing I think about when I wake up or the last thing I think about before I fall asleep. Beating cancer is the greatest accomplishment of my life, and because of my experience, I intend to become a pediatric oncology nurse. I loved all my nurses, but I only had one male nurse during my entire course of treatment. His name was Adam and meeting him changed my life. I was able to connect with Adam on a deeper level because we were both guys. We talked about sports, movies, girls, and just overall guy stuff. He became my inspiration for wanting to become a nurse. My whole world had been flipped upside down and he talked to me like a regular kid, not the kid with cancer. I felt such a connection with him, and I knew right then and there that I wanted to be a nurse like Adam. Being a cancer survivor puts me in a unique position to relate to patients, pediatric patients especially. I understand the importance of the nurse/patient connection and it goes beyond shots and medications. Sick kids are still just kids and I appreciated that my nurses never forgot that. They would ask me about school and my swim team, we would talk about books or TV shows or movies I was watching. We would laugh and honestly, except for my mom, there were very few tears. The nurses went above and beyond to help me forget I was sitting in a chair with chemotherapy running through my veins. My nurses have left a lasting impression on me, Adam in particular, and I want to be that person for someone else. Currently, I am a direct-admit BSN sophomore at West Virginia University. I hold a 4.0 and I was named to the President’s List both semesters freshman year. I am a member of the Student Nurse Association and I volunteer for Kisses for Kyle, a childhood cancer foundation. One of the reasons I applied to WVU is the new WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital. Upon graduation I hope to work at WVU Children’s Hospital in oncology, I want to be that nurse who inspires others to go into the nursing field like Adam did for me. If I can help just one cancer warrior not feel so scared and alone, I will consider myself a successful nurse.

Most people want to make a positive impact on the world, what type of person would I be if I wanted otherwise, but for me, it will be enough if I make an impact on just one person, a teenage boy with cancer. When you are thirteen, you never expect to hear “You have cancer”. Those three words changed me. As the years have passed and I am farther out from treatment, my life isn’t doesn’t revolve around my cancer anymore. My diagnosis is no longer the first thing I think about when I wake up or the last thing I think about before I fall asleep. Beating cancer is my greatest achievement, and because of my experience, I intend to become a pediatric oncology nurse and care for other kids as my nurses cared for me. Now I loved all my female nurses, but I only met one male nurse, Adam, during my entire course of treatment, and it occurred to me, why aren’t there more male nurses? As a teenage guy, I was able to connect with Adam in a different way than my female nurses. We talked about sports, movies, girls, and just overall guy stuff. He was relatable and funny and he took my mind off being sick. Adam made me feel like we were just two dudes hanging out and I knew I couldn’t be the only young male patient that could benefit from having a male nurse like him. Currently, I am a direct admit BSN second-semester freshman at West Virginia University. I am a member of the Student Nurse Association, and I finished my freshman year with a cumulative 4.0 and I was named to the President’s List both semesters. One of the reasons I applied to WVU is the new WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital which overlooks the WVU football stadium and provides specialized, high-level care in numerous areas including heart, pulmonary, neuro, cancer, surgical, and trauma. On days of home games, the WVU football team and tailgaters turn towards the Children’s Hospital and wave to the patients and their families. The hospital even devoted an entire floor for families to come together and relax in a less clinical setting. The area includes a seating area that resembles the football team’s locker room, plus a kitchen, laundry room, computer room, multiple video game consoles and TVs, and a retractable projector screen. As someone that spent a fair amount of time in a hospital, I’m moved by WVU’s effort into making patients and their families feel comfortable, special, and normal. I have already begun taking nursing classes and I begin my clinicals in the fall. One of the reasons I think I am doing so well academically is because I am excited to become a nurse and I want to learn everything possible that will make me an exceptional nurse. I know how important my education is but I also know that my interpersonal skills such as kindness, patience, sense of humor, and empathy are just as important. I don’t think being a cancer survivor will make me a better nurse than someone else, but I do believe my experience provides me with a perspective that cannot be taught. Adam is the reason I want to become a nurse. I want to help sick kids manage their diagnosis and take their minds off their situation. I want to give them a chance to feel like a regular kid and if I can do that, even for just one kid, then I will feel I am a success.

Most people want to make a positive impact on the world, what type of person would I be if I wanted otherwise, but for me, it will be enough if I make an impact on just one person, a teenage boy with cancer. When you are thirteen, you never expect to hear “You have cancer”. Those three words changed me. As the years have passed and I am farther out from treatment, my life isn’t doesn’t revolve around my cancer anymore. My diagnosis is no longer the first thing I think about when I wake up or the last thing I think about before I fall asleep. Beating cancer is my greatest achievement, and because of my experience, I intend to become a pediatric oncology nurse and care for other kids as my nurses cared for me. Now I loved all my female nurses, but I only met one male nurse, Adam, during my entire course of treatment, and it occurred to me, why aren’t there more male nurses? As a teenage guy, I was able to connect with Adam in a different way than my female nurses. We talked about sports, movies, girls, and just overall guy stuff. He was relatable and funny and he took my mind off being sick. Adam made me feel like we were just two dudes hanging out and I knew I couldn’t be the only young male patient that could benefit from having a male nurse like him. Currently, I am a direct admit BSN second-semester freshman at West Virginia University. I am a member of the Student Nurse Association, and I finished my freshman year with a cumulative 4.0 and I was named to the President’s List both semesters. One of the reasons I applied to WVU is the new WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital which overlooks the WVU football stadium and provides specialized, high-level care in numerous areas including heart, pulmonary, neuro, cancer, surgical, and trauma. On days of home games, the WVU football team and tailgaters turn towards the Children’s Hospital and wave to the patients and their families. The hospital even devoted an entire floor for families to come together and relax in a less clinical setting. The area includes a seating area that resembles the football team’s locker room, plus a kitchen, laundry room, computer room, multiple video game consoles and TVs, and a retractable projector screen. As someone that spent a fair amount of time in a hospital, I’m moved by WVU’s effort into making patients and their families feel comfortable, special, and normal. I have already begun taking nursing classes and I begin my clinicals in the fall. One of the reasons I think I am doing so well academically is because I am excited to become a nurse and I want to learn everything possible that will make me an exceptional nurse. I know how important my education is but I also know that my interpersonal skills such as kindness, patience, sense of humor, and empathy are just as important. I don’t think being a cancer survivor will make me a better nurse than someone else, but I do believe my experience provides me with a perspective that cannot be taught. Adam is the reason I want to become a nurse. I want to help sick kids manage their diagnosis and take their minds off their situation. I want to give them a chance to feel like a regular kid and if I can do that, even for just one kid, then I will feel I am a success.

Most people want to make a positive impact on the world, what type of person would I be if I wanted otherwise, but for me, it will be enough if I make an impact on just one person, a teenage boy with cancer. When you are thirteen, you never expect to hear “You have cancer”. Those three words changed me. As the years have passed and I am farther out from treatment, my life isn’t doesn’t revolve around my cancer anymore. My diagnosis is no longer the first thing I think about when I wake up or the last thing I think about before I fall asleep. Beating cancer is my greatest achievement, and because of my experience, I intend to become a pediatric oncology nurse and care for other kids as my nurses cared for me. Now I loved all my female nurses, but I only met one male nurse, Adam, during my entire course of treatment, and it occurred to me, why aren’t there more male nurses? As a teenage guy, I was able to connect with Adam in a different way than my female nurses. We talked about sports, movies, girls, and just overall guy stuff. He was relatable and funny and he took my mind off being sick. Adam made me feel like we were just two dudes hanging out and I knew I couldn’t be the only young male patient that could benefit from having a male nurse like him. Currently, I am a direct admit BSN second-semester freshman at West Virginia University. I am a member of the Student Nurse Association, and I finished my freshman year with a cumulative 4.0 and I was named to the President’s List both semesters. One of the reasons I applied to WVU is the new WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital which overlooks the WVU football stadium and provides specialized, high-level care in numerous areas including heart, pulmonary, neuro, cancer, surgical, and trauma. On days of home games, the WVU football team and tailgaters turn towards the Children’s Hospital and wave to the patients and their families. The hospital even devoted an entire floor for families to come together and relax in a less clinical setting. The area includes a seating area that resembles the football team’s locker room, plus a kitchen, laundry room, computer room, multiple video game consoles and TVs, and a retractable projector screen. As someone that spent a fair amount of time in a hospital, I’m moved by WVU’s effort into making patients and their families feel comfortable, special, and normal. I have already begun taking nursing classes and I begin my clinicals in the fall. One of the reasons I think I am doing so well academically is because I am excited to become a nurse and I want to learn everything possible that will make me an exceptional nurse. I know how important my education is but I also know that my interpersonal skills such as kindness, patience, sense of humor, and empathy are just as important. I don’t think being a cancer survivor will make me a better nurse than someone else, but I do believe my experience provides me with a perspective that cannot be taught. Adam is the reason I want to become a nurse. I want to help sick kids manage their diagnosis and take their minds off their situation. I want to give them a chance to feel like a regular kid and if I can do that, even for just one kid, then I will feel I am a success.

Most people want to make a positive impact on the world, what type of person would I be if I wanted otherwise, but for me, it will be enough if I make an impact on just one person, a teenage boy with cancer. When you are thirteen, you never expect to hear “You have cancer”. Those three words changed me. As the years have passed and I am farther out from treatment, my life isn’t doesn’t revolve around my cancer anymore. My diagnosis is no longer the first thing I think about when I wake up or the last thing I think about before I fall asleep. Beating cancer is my greatest achievement, and because of my experience, I intend to become a pediatric oncology nurse and care for other kids as my nurses cared for me. Now I loved all my female nurses, but I only met one male nurse, Adam, during my entire course of treatment, and it occurred to me, why aren’t there more male nurses? As a teenage guy, I was able to connect with Adam in a different way than my female nurses. We talked about sports, movies, girls, and just overall guy stuff. He was relatable and funny and he took my mind off being sick. Adam made me feel like we were just two dudes hanging out and I knew I couldn’t be the only young male patient that could benefit from having a male nurse like him. Currently, I am a direct admit BSN second-semester freshman at West Virginia University. I am a member of the Student Nurse Association, and I finished my freshman year with a cumulative 4.0 and I was named to the President’s List both semesters. One of the reasons I applied to WVU is the new WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital which overlooks the WVU football stadium and provides specialized, high-level care in numerous areas including heart, pulmonary, neuro, cancer, surgical, and trauma. On days of home games, the WVU football team and tailgaters turn towards the Children’s Hospital and wave to the patients and their families. The hospital even devoted an entire floor for families to come together and relax in a less clinical setting. The area includes a seating area that resembles the football team’s locker room, plus a kitchen, laundry room, computer room, multiple video game consoles and TVs, and a retractable projector screen. As someone that spent a fair amount of time in a hospital, I’m moved by WVU’s effort into making patients and their families feel comfortable, special, and normal. I have already begun taking nursing classes and I begin my clinicals in the fall. One of the reasons I think I am doing so well academically is because I am excited to become a nurse and I want to learn everything possible that will make me an exceptional nurse. I know how important my education is but I also know that my interpersonal skills such as kindness, patience, sense of humor, and empathy are just as important. I don’t think being a cancer survivor will make me a better nurse than someone else, but I do believe my experience provides me with a perspective that cannot be taught. Adam is the reason I want to become a nurse. I want to help sick kids manage their diagnosis and take their minds off their situation. I want to give them a chance to feel like a regular kid and if I can do that, even for just one kid, then I will feel I am a success.

Most people want to make a positive impact on the world, what type of person would I be if I wanted otherwise, but for me, it will be enough if I make an impact on just one person, a teenage boy with cancer. When you are thirteen, you never expect to hear “You have cancer”. Those three words changed me. As the years have passed and I am farther out from treatment, my life isn’t doesn’t revolve around my cancer anymore. My diagnosis is no longer the first thing I think about when I wake up or the last thing I think about before I fall asleep. Beating cancer is my greatest achievement, and because of my experience, I intend to become a pediatric oncology nurse and care for other kids as my nurses cared for me. Now I loved all my female nurses, but I only met one male nurse, Adam, during my entire course of treatment, and it occurred to me, why aren’t there more male nurses? As a teenage guy, I was able to connect with Adam in a different way than my female nurses. We talked about sports, movies, girls, and just overall guy stuff. He was relatable and funny and he took my mind off being sick. Adam made me feel like we were just two dudes hanging out and I knew I couldn’t be the only young male patient that could benefit from having a male nurse like him. Currently, I am a direct admit BSN second-semester freshman at West Virginia University. I am a member of the Student Nurse Association, and I finished my freshman year with a cumulative 4.0 and I was named to the President’s List both semesters. One of the reasons I applied to WVU is the new WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital which overlooks the WVU football stadium and provides specialized, high-level care in numerous areas including heart, pulmonary, neuro, cancer, surgical, and trauma. On days of home games, the WVU football team and tailgaters turn towards the Children’s Hospital and wave to the patients and their families. The hospital even devoted an entire floor for families to come together and relax in a less clinical setting. The area includes a seating area that resembles the football team’s locker room, plus a kitchen, laundry room, computer room, multiple video game consoles and TVs, and a retractable projector screen. As someone that spent a fair amount of time in a hospital, I’m moved by WVU’s effort into making patients and their families feel comfortable, special, and normal. I have already begun taking nursing classes and I begin my clinicals in the fall. One of the reasons I think I am doing so well academically is because I am excited to become a nurse and I want to learn everything possible that will make me an exceptional nurse. I know how important my education is but I also know that my interpersonal skills such as kindness, patience, sense of humor, and empathy are just as important. I don’t think being a cancer survivor will make me a better nurse than someone else, but I do believe my experience provides me with a perspective that cannot be taught. Adam is the reason I want to become a nurse. I want to help sick kids manage their diagnosis and take their minds off their situation. I want to give them a chance to feel like a regular kid and if I can do that, even for just one kid, then I will feel I am a success.

Most people want to make a positive impact on the world, what type of person would I be if I wanted otherwise, but for me, it will be enough if I make an impact on just one person, a teenage boy with cancer. When you are thirteen, you never expect to hear “You have cancer”. Those three words changed me. As the years have passed and I am farther out from treatment, my life isn’t doesn’t revolve around my cancer anymore. My diagnosis is no longer the first thing I think about when I wake up or the last thing I think about before I fall asleep. Beating cancer is my greatest achievement, and because of my experience, I intend to become a pediatric oncology nurse and care for other kids as my nurses cared for me. Now I loved all my female nurses, but I only met one male nurse, Adam, during my entire course of treatment, and it occurred to me, why aren’t there more male nurses? As a teenage guy, I was able to connect with Adam in a different way than my female nurses. We talked about sports, movies, girls, and just overall guy stuff. He was relatable and funny and he took my mind off being sick. Adam made me feel like we were just two dudes hanging out and I knew I couldn’t be the only young male patient that could benefit from having a male nurse like him. Currently, I am a direct admit BSN second-semester freshman at West Virginia University. I am a member of the Student Nurse Association, and I finished my freshman year with a cumulative 4.0 and I was named to the President’s List both semesters. One of the reasons I applied to WVU is the new WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital which overlooks the WVU football stadium and provides specialized, high-level care in numerous areas including heart, pulmonary, neuro, cancer, surgical, and trauma. On days of home games, the WVU football team and tailgaters turn towards the Children’s Hospital and wave to the patients and their families. The hospital even devoted an entire floor for families to come together and relax in a less clinical setting. The area includes a seating area that resembles the football team’s locker room, plus a kitchen, laundry room, computer room, multiple video game consoles and TVs, and a retractable projector screen. As someone that spent a fair amount of time in a hospital, I’m moved by WVU’s effort into making patients and their families feel comfortable, special, and normal. I have already begun taking nursing classes and I begin my clinicals in the fall. One of the reasons I think I am doing so well academically is because I am excited to become a nurse and I want to learn everything possible that will make me an exceptional nurse. I know how important my education is but I also know that my interpersonal skills such as kindness, patience, sense of humor, and empathy are just as important. I don’t think being a cancer survivor will make me a better nurse than someone else, but I do believe my experience provides me with a perspective that cannot be taught. Adam is the reason I want to become a nurse. I want to help sick kids manage their diagnosis and take their minds off their situation. I want to give them a chance to feel like a regular kid and if I can do that, even for just one kid, then I will feel I am a success.