Meet Max, 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.

Max’s Story

Max was diagnosed with high-grade osteosarcoma in his right femur when he was ten years old. He remembers that his parents came to pick him up early from sleep-away camp, but he didn’t know why.

They were headed to the hospital. He was about to spend the next year battling cancer, undergoing 18 rounds of in-patient chemotherapy and several surgeries to remove the tumor and address growth discrepancies.

“I eventually completed my last chemotherapy cycle and was declared NED (no evidence of disease),” Max told us. “However, while I had largely recovered physically, this was just the start of the second chapter of my cancer journey.”

“During treatment, I was strongly encouraged to speak with other kids also facing medical challenges, but I refused due to the stigma around mental health. In contrast, my parents, struggling with their own emotional burdens, found comfort in connecting with other families. Seeing how much this helped my parents, I came to appreciate its value.”

“Interacting with current osteosarcoma patients and realizing how my story gave them hope showed me the importance of patient outreach and support systems,” said Max.

Today, Max is studying chemistry at Tufts University. He already has experience as a research intern and speaker at research conferences. He also serves on the youth advisory board for an osteosarcoma nonprofit.

Max’s Advocacy Project

For his volunteer project, Max is fighting for passage of the Give Kids a Chance Act (H.R.1262 / S.932), bipartisan legislation that aims to remove barriers in pediatric drug development and speed therapies to children who need them by incentivizing pediatric research and making needed changes to pediatric drug laws.

He’s already launched a letter-writing campaign at Tufts, partnering with a club on campus to rally other students to write their Members of Congress and urge support for the bill. Max’s group - Tufts Project SHARE - also wrote an Op-ed for the school newspaper to bring awareness to the bill and encourage people to sign the petition.

This summer, Max will be attending the annual ASCO conference as a patient advocate. “I hope to learn more about how to branch out of my school and to partake in health policy advocacy on a larger scale,” he told us.

He is hopeful for the chance to lobby for the Give Kids a Chance Act in person on Capitol Hill this summer. Over the next year, he wants to expand his mobilization efforts beyond campus and engage the broader community and general public in Boston and beyond.