At the age of 15, I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, and like many patients, the hospital quickly became a second home to me. I endured nearly three years of treatments, all of which fell into the time in my life when I was expected to explore, experiment and find myself – my teenage years. It goes without saying that being a cancer patient and survivor has had an incredible influence over my life today. While difficult to maintain at times, my optimistic attitude is a large part of what got me through my treatments.

In terms of career influence, it has become extremely important to me to give back and assist other children with cancer as much as possible. When I came across my current post-graduate program, Fundraising and Volunteer Management at Humber College, I realized this was the perfect career choice for me.

Whereas some survivors wish to go on with their lives and never look back, being a childhood cancer survivor is part of my identity. I am grateful for my experiences and believe I would be a different person today without them.