Meet Caroline, 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.
Caroline’s Story
Caroline was diagnosed at age six with Ewing Sarcoma in her right radius.
“My memories of treatment are not vivid, most details I remember have been told to me,” Caroline says. "What I do know is that I was in and out of the hospital nearly everyday, lost my hair, and lost friends.”
Caroline’s course of treatment included six different types of chemotherapy, four surgeries, and multiple CAT scans and PET scans.
When she returned to school, she was behind in reading comprehension and lacked critical social skills. She’s also battled both physical and mental late effects as a result of her cancer and its treatment.
“Despite these struggles I will say I am grateful for where I am. We caught my tumor early, and it is because of that that I am here today.”
Caroline tells us that she spent much of her childhood after treatment trying to distance herself from the traumatic experience.
“But as the saying goes, you can’t outrun your past, particularly not when you still have the mental and physical scars,” she told us. “The path towards acceptance and understanding has been gradual.”
“The first time I opened up to this idea, of accepting my experience with cancer, was when I began attending a summer camp, specifically for childhood cancer patients,” she says. “Because of that experience, I finally realized I wasn’t alone in my struggles.”
“As I’ve gotten older I’ve gotten more comfortable with being a cancer survivor. Cancer was and is terrifying and not everyone survives it. Difficult as the experience was, I am grateful that I have the chance to live and to learn.”
She shared a story about her most recent survivorship check-up: “My nurse practitioner mentioned how cancer survivors are often anxious perfectionists or risk-takers. What I’m realizing is that those two paths are a part of the same idea, that our chance at life can not be wasted. Part of embracing my cancer experience is embracing every moment of my life, good and bad.”
She’s planning to study psychology at the University of Arizona.
Caroline’s Advocacy Project
For Caroline, embracing her survivorship includes doing charity work at the hospital she was treated at and creating art about her experience.
For her scholarship volunteer project, she plans to turn that passion into action on campus by hosting a card-making event.
“During my own cancer treatment, I frequently would receive cards or small gifts from my peers or other organizations that served as an important reminder of community support,” she told us. “With this idea in mind, my goal is to bring this same support to others. Students would be able to stop by in between classes or on longer breaks to make cards with sweet messages, jokes, or fun facts, which I’ll then donate to our local children’s hospital.”
She hopes to host her card-making drive - Cards for Care - in the fall of 2025 and she hopes to collect at least 100.