Meet David
2026 Scholar
Brain Tumor Survivor

Thanks to a generous survivorship program grant from Hyundai Hope On Wheels, twenty-three survivors were welcomed into the 2026 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.

A young man with curly dark hair and glasses, smiling in a portrait photo. He is wearing a light gray suit, white shirt, and plaid tie, against a plain background.
A colorful graphic with a thank you message for supporters of Hope Kids and Hopeland, featuring a stylized hand with colored finger segments.

David was diagnosed with an optic pathway glioma - a brain tumor - when he was three years old.

Doctors told his parents his chances of survival were just 8 percent. If he survived, they said, he would likely be blind.

After many months of chemo, he beat the odds. He survived, and he didn’t lose his vision entirely.

Since he was so young, he doesn’t remember many details of his cancer. “Yet survivorship has been my guiding force in life and inspires me to treat every new day as an opportunity to grow and appreciate.”

Today, David is studying psychology at the University of Miami.

Young boy lying in a hospital bed with medical equipment behind him, wearing glasses and an orange shirt.
A young man with curly hair and glasses smiling at night, standing in front of the Las Vegas Strip with the Eiffel Tower replica lit up behind him.

David’s Advocacy Project

“I hope to educate and inspire others while showing current cancer patients they are never alone,” says David. He is still working on the details on his volunteer project.

We will update this space in June 2026.

“I believe that others hearing about the outcomes, emotions, and reflections that come from cancer will properly educate viewers on the severity of cancer while shining a light on cancer advocacy.”