Growing up I never really struggled. My parents provided me with a roof over my head, food on the table, they drove me to school, to soccer practice, and threw me birthday parties. It wasn't until I turned 13 that I realized the world could be a cruel place. I was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) during my first week of 8th grade. My parents told me they never used their insurance for anything except well-checkups prior because I was a very healthy kid, but now I was facing the biggest struggle of my life. During my stay at the hospital it was determine that the cancer attacked one of my hip bones, causing it to fracture. Things couldn’t get any worse for me; all I wanted was to play soccer with my friends and I couldn't. Over the next few months, the fracture would heal but the damage to my hip ball didn't. I underwent surgery to try to save my hip but unfortunately, the surgery didn't work, and my hip ball collapsed, and the doctors told me I would never play soccer again, but that wasn't an option for me. After a year of recovering, my parents scheduled me to start physical therapy (PT) to improve my strength. It took some time, but I was able to get strong enough to play high school soccer. Our high school team did very well but I was very unhappy with the way I was playing. Throughout the season, my hip would cause me so much pain and I would push through it. I stayed focus on getting stronger so I could play the game I love. As I continued physical therapy, going before school twice a week, I started playing competitive club soccer again. Right before our team went to Nationals, I stopped PT, as I felt amazing and was able to run without a noticeable limp and the pain was minimal but my confidence was very low. I decided to not go back to club soccer the next session to focus getting my body healthier and stronger. My Junior year, the high school soccer season was approaching and many friends encouraged me to try out for the team, so I did and made the varsity team. My parents were happy for me and supported my decision to start playing once again, even though my hip continued to hurt a lot, I pushed through and played a good amount during each game. After the high school season was over, I decided to start playing competitive club soccer again. With the increased demand on my body, I started physical therapy again and continued for the next 6 months. Towards the end of the school year, I began training with an old coach to continue to journey of strengthen my body and improving my skills. He admired my dedication to training and invited me to patriciate in his summer program. I ended up trying out for his team and made the team as a starter. I play every game pain free now with minimal limp. If cancer taught me one thing, it’s that dedication and determination despite what others say can get you closer to your dreams. Without being diagnosed with cancer, I may not have truly understood the true meaning of hope, faith, and gratitude. Now, I choose joy every day because life’s too short to show up any other way. I’m going to just keep putting one foot in front of the other with the biggest smile on my face, knowing cancer didn’t stop me from reaching my success!