Meet Isaac: 2023 Gold Scholar
Our College Scholars 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, with support and mentorship from the Children's Cancer Cause team.
Isaac’s Story
Isaac, a native of Litchfield, Connecticut, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) when he was eleven years old. He was given a 20 percent chance of survival. During his third round of chemo, he battled pneumonia, septic shock, and a fever of 108.
“Five months of slow decline trudged through my frail body, which was all a mere nuisance in comparison to the needed bone marrow transplant ahead,” Isaac said, recounting the grueling months of harsh treatment and strict isolation required to undergo what would be a successful transplant using his brother’s donated marrow.
“For 100 consecutive days, I vomited despite taking every anti-nausea medication available, leaving me as a shell,” he remembers. “Yet in the midst of it, I clung to hope.”
After eleven months of treatment, he was finally able to work toward recovery and healing, with the help of his faith and his family.
By high school, Isaac was making up for lost time. He involved himself in band, student ministry, community volunteerism, and he was captain of varsity teams in swimming, cross country, and track & field.
He is studying business administration at Messiah University in Pennsylvania.
Isaac’s Advocacy Project
“I will never know the names of the many blood donors who preserved my life by replenishing red blood cells and platelets dozens of times throughout my treatment,” Isaac told us. “So many times during my experience with cancer, my life was saved by a stranger.”
Isaac’s family recounts that one time during his treatment, there were no platelets left in the state of Connecticut so a Red Cross worker drove to Rhode Island to retrieve platelets for Isaac and the two other childhood cancer patients on his floor.
For Isaac’s scholarship volunteer project, he partnered with the Red Cross to host a blood drive at his local church in June 2023.
Isaac hoped the event would serve as a way to “promote awareness for cancers like leukemia and the need for large volumes of blood required to support children undergoing chemotherapy,” and we’re so proud to share that it was a huge success. In fact, there was such an overwhelming response that the local Red Cross ran out of collection materials! Isaac and another childhood cancer survivor were on hand at the event to thank donors and explain how blood donations saved each of their lives during treatment.
“Most of the donors were first-time donors, which was so exciting,” reports Isaac’s family. “This was the first time that our church had hosted a blood drive, and they hope to do it once or twice per year from this point forward.”
Isaac’s own sister was motivated by the success and hosted a blood drive, too. “She blessed many unknown hospital patients with the gift of a new life,” Isaac told us proudly.
Keep Isaac’s good work going by finding a Red Cross blood drive near you!