Skin Cancer Personal Statement

Starting my high school career at an early college academy, I wasn’t an outstanding student. Being mediocre at best, my first semester was not impressive. Where I excelled physically, I lacked academically but because I did not want to get kicked out of a program that was selective in regards to who they accepted, I shifted my focus towards school and started to do significantly better. It reinforced a sense of confidence I had for these next three years of high school right up until I found out I was diagnosed with cancer.

At the age of 15 I what was called Ewing’s Sarcoma; a kind of cancerous tumor that primarily affects the bones and soft tissues various areas of the body such as the chest area where mine was localized at. Being that I was only 15, this was a type of disease that I have never heard of nor had any

All I understood was that I had cancer and going bald was a side effect that was bound to occur. When the doctor broke the news to my family and me, my parents were devastated. Even though my mom had a history with skin cancer of her own, this was new territory for everyone. After meeting with my doctor and receiving a proposal for what the next 6 months of my schedule would look like, I derailed my focus from school and adjusted my priorities towards staying alive and trying to maintain my physical integrity. The doctor’s proposal consisted of a 4-week radiation therapy program and 3 days a week of constant chemotherapy treatment for the next 22 weeks. During these 6 months of daily treatment, my body underwent a huge transformation for the worst. My hair began to fall out, my body weight dropped down to about 90 pounds from feeling nauseous all the time, and I was no physically capable of running 5-minute miles every weekend like I used