How I Turned my Biggest Challenge into Something Positive and Life Changing

Ask most people and I am sure they would say being diagnosed with cancer is the worst thing imaginable. No doubt, that’s true. I still shudder at the memory of hearing the words “Emma, you have leukemia” for the first time. Yet, over the past two years, I have come to learn first-hand that it’s possible to turn life’s biggest challenges into something positive and life-changing.

My life changed completely on January 17th, 2012, when I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. As a high school student/athlete who had always enjoyed having good health, the diagnosis came as a complete shock. I immediately spent the next two weeks at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin undergoing intense chemotherapy. The effects of the chemo, the constant stream of doctors and nurses, and the numbing reality that I was now a cancer patient were terrifying. At the same time, I was flooded with the love of family and friends coming to visit, bringing with them gifts and comfort items, and keeping me company in a frightening and unfamiliar place.

While at the hospital, I also came to notice the other children and teens that had spent weeks and even months at the hospital, many of whom were not as fortunate as me. I knew then I wanted to help these brave kids in some small way. Just as I needed comforts during my trials, I realized my fellow patients needed them as well, if not more. I thought about starting my own foundation to help ease the pain and difficulty of my fellow patients. But due to the intensity of my chemotherapy, the constant feeling of being tired and sick, and the challenge of keeping up with schoolwork from my bedroom, I had to be patient with my “patient project.”

As I entered my maintenance phase of chemo, and my energy began to return, my Mom and I began brainstorming ideas for a “mission” and potential names for it. On a cold Saturday morning, at our favorite coffee shop, we decided to make it happen. Emma Rose - A Patient Helping Patients was born on the 10-month anniversary of my diagnosis. The foundation has two primary missions: We collect comfort items such as pillow pets, tie blankets, fuzzy socks, lip balms, hand sanitizers and games for the brave kids in the cancer unit at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. We also seek to raise awareness about a little known cancer statistic, namely that only 3.8 percent of all cancer-related funding nationwide goes towards childhood cancer research. That simply needs to change.

Within the first week, I gained 325 likes on my Facebook page (I now have more than 8,000) and collected a few large boxes full of comfort items and cash donations to help the kids at CHW. On the one-year anniversary of my diagnosis, I made my first visit to deliver the goodies. It was heartwarming to see their faces glow. I was happy to be able to bring some joy to the patients who have to endure so much. I knew immediately how they felt.

My disease, difficult as it has been, has opened many doors. “P4P”, as I call my page, continues to grow and reach more people every day. Thanks to the generosity of so many people nationwide I have been able to deliver gifts and comfort items to more than 60 pediatric cancer patients each month. And the gifts and donations keep coming every week. Through my Facebook page, I have also been able to share facts about pediatric cancer research and the desperate need for more funds to combat this horrible disease. Great progress has been made in treating the disease. But we could be doing so much more!

My disease has also impacted my career choice in a profound way. Before my diagnosis, the thought of being a nurse was the furthest thing from my mind. Medical treatments scared me. I was afraid of the sight of blood. Ironic, because leukemia (and my life over the past three years) is all about blood! Very little scares me now. This year I am a freshman at Concordia University studying nursing. My dream is to be a nurse in the pediatric cancer unit at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. Just as I have been the recipient of some of the most caring nurses and doctors and the latest treatments in fighting my disease, I am committed to helping other kids battle (and win) their own fight against cancer. I am committed to making a difference in their lives every day. Someday I hope to make a difference at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, the hospital that helped me. And I hope to bring a little joy to other children suffering from cancer, hopefully inspiring them to do the same.

-- Emma is 19 years old and a 3 year Leukemia survivor. She is currently a freshman at Concordia University of Wisconsin studying nursing in hopes of being a pediatric oncology nurse someday.

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