Meet Meaghan
2020 & 2026 Scholar
Hodgkin Lymphoma 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.
“All of my past experiences taught me not only the necessity but also the power of advocacy.
I cannot change what happened to me, but I can make the experience better for the next person going through it.”
Meaghan was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma when she was 15 years old.
She received six months of chemo and radiation — and then suffered a recurrence that required immunotherapy and a stem cell transplant.
“While my two years in treatment were very difficult, I found that survivorship presented new challenges,” says Meaghan, describing problems with mobility, neuropathy, fatigue, and integrating back to ‘normal life.’
She worked hard at recovery, graduating high school as salutatorian and rebuilding her strength through physical therapy and dedication to training.
“After cancer, I can’t trust anything to come easily, but I can trust myself to handle whatever situation may arise with resilience."
Meaghan graduated Vanderbilt University with experience as a research assistant and in a vaccine lab. She’s now a medical student at George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
Meaghan currently serves on the Children’s Cancer Cause Survivorship Advisory Council, providing invaluable guidance on our survivorship programs and activities.
Meaghan’s Advocacy Project
As a medical student, Meaghan is researching late effects in the first two years following completion of pediatric cancer treatment, with a focus on how to optimally provide necessary care while also lessening the burden on survivors and families.
“Even as a healthy survivor, I spend much more time and energy than my peers on medical care as I do my best to adhere to survivorship guidelines for late effects surveillance,” Meaghan told us. “Having navigated this bumpy road of survivorship, I find it very meaningful to focus my energy in research and advocacy on creating a smoother path for survivors now and in the future.”
