Meet Caoilinn, 2025 Scholar

Thanks to a generous survivorship program grant from Hyundai Hope On Wheels, twenty-two survivors were welcomed into the 2025 Children’s Cancer Cause College Scholars Program, representing both organizations’ strong investment in survivors and belief in their bright futures.

Each of these students receive a financial scholarship to help with academic expenses, and each Scholar commits to undertaking a volunteer project of their choosing related to childhood cancer advocacy.

Caoilinn’s Story

“I was an elite athlete with a passion for soccer and beach volleyball before I was suddenly diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), a rare and aggressive blood cancer, at 15,” Caoilinn told us. “The cancer had taken over more than 90% of my blood stream and spinal fluid.”

She was admitted to the ICU immediately to start high-dose chemo.

After several months of intense treatment, she returned home, hoping to put the cancer experience behind her. But then routine blood work showed the cancer had come back.

Treatment for her relapse would require more aggressive treatment: immunosuppression and transplant conditioning, total body and cranial radiation, a bone marrow stem cell transplant (BMT), and more rounds of intense chemo.

“Despite dire complications, the transplant was successful and over a year later I returned home,” she said. “Regaining my footing in life was much harder the second time, my body had been through so much and had so little time to recover before being thrust into the flames again, doused in gasoline.”

“While my body was recovering, I began to understand what had happened to me, late-term side effects, and all of the terrible things no one knows about childhood cancer until it becomes their reality. That is when I began advocating for childhood cancer awareness and new research for better treatments. I thought I was advocating and raising money for better treatments that would benefit others, but that's one of the things no one tells you about childhood cancer– it can always come back!”

Caoilinn relapsed again.

This time, doctors didn’t have a standard treatment protocol. She enrolled in a clinical trial that included genetically altered cells to target the cancer, in addition to more chemo and radiation and another transplant.

The aggressive treatment plan also involved intentional graft versus host disease “in the hopes that if the new cells were attacking my cells, then they would also attack my cancer cells.”

“As a result of my cancer and these treatments I have experienced multiorgan failure, bone death, life-threatening allergic reactions including TENS, flesh eating bacterial infections, more than 13 surgeries, multiple major blood transfusions, PTSD, and more loss that I can put into words,” she said.

“But I am also alive and more determined than ever to raise awareness and fight to rewrite what it means to have and survive childhood cancer.”

Caoilinn is studying international relations, transferring to the Virginia Military Institute from a community college.

Caoilinn’s Advocacy Project

Caoilinn is a passionate advocate for childhood cancer awareness and research, with experience lobbying on Capitol Hill for legislation including the Give Kids a Chance Act and Gabriella Miller Kids First 2.0.

For her volunteer project, Caoilinn plans to create a campus advocacy group with students who are survivors themselves and others who are interested in politics, medical science, patient care, social work, and related subjects.

“Using the tools and resources from the Children’s Cancer Cause, including the Advocacy Toolkit and Legislative Action Center, I envision the group helping students spread awareness about childhood cancer, meet with lawmakers, conduct letter-writing campaigns, organizing drives, and advocating for legislation funding pediatric cancer research,” she told us. “This chapter of campus advocates can encourage more like-minded and passionate individuals to join the fight and connect with the Children’s Cancer Cause.”

She hopes the idea might spread to other university campuses, high schools, and communities.

“This grassroots effort focuses on empowering students looking to make a difference and giving them the tools to funnel their passion into effective advocacy that inspires others.”