The telephone rings, “Brandy, it’s Dr. Squires...your biopsy results came back. Can you and your husband come into the office to discuss the findings?” The office visit was a blur, my eyes glazed over and my brain froze. I picked up on key words: B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, severely immunocompromised, prognosis poor, treatment undecided. I was almost 28 and had just made the decision to return to school to finish my degree now that our daughter was almost two years old. The brakes squealed on that decision as my life flashed before my eyes.  For full transparency - I tried to get a degree from a university which honestly failed before it started. I then went to a technical college and my confidence was just in the dumpster. For everything I did well, I feel like I was my own worst enemy because I had this habit of self-sabotage to make my strides counterproductive. Imposter syndrome is a weird feeling. Coming from a home where neither parent attended college, I felt lost coming out of High School without guidance and I was just rolling with the punches.  Cancer was the wakeup call that I needed to do better – it ignited my drive. It really can be the cliche that people often mention as “being an eye-opening experience.” That rough experience can polish the pearl that has been waiting to emerge. I was fortunate enough to have a sibling who was a DNA/HLA match for me to receive my life saving stem cell transplant after over 100 days in the hospital (I spent 165 in total.) After all that I have been through I think I will have a new appreciation for being a student and a new confidence in my abilities to get the work done. I have learned how to speak again after a tracheotomy, I learned how to walk again after being in a wheelchair for two years after having dealt with graft vs host disease & bilateral Achilles lengthening surgeries, I have learned how to use my body in the face of newfound disabilities, and just simply have learned how to live. My ambition came alive in facing death.  I see my future goals as being easily attainable. I would love to set an example for my almost 12-year-old daughter as a non-traditional college graduate. I want to show her that it's never too late to accomplish your goals. I am celebrating my 38th birthday in June and my 10th year post-stem cell transplant in July, and I cannot think of a better way to celebrate the life I have been granted and the future ahead of me than to earn an associate degree in Cancer Information Management and to be certified as an Oncology Data Specialist with the National Cancer Registrars Association. I am grateful to be alive and would be honored to even be considered for this opportunity.

Get busy living! This is my motto as I step into the future and try to accomplish my long-awaited educational goals that have been placed on the back burner due to 'life'. As a leukemia and stem cell transplant survivor I have a lot to live for, but planning for the future is not possible without an education that will enable me to pay for the cost of living my beautiful and grateful life. Because I survived, I get to spend precious time with those who mean the most to me which include my husband and daughter. My daughter was almost 2 when I was diagnosed and I would love to be able to accomplish my professional goals and continue to be an inspiration for her in multi-facets of life. I would love to be able to attain my Associate's Degree in Cancer Information Management with a certification to be an Oncology Data Specialist from the National Cancer Registrar Association. With my relevant work history and my passion for healthcare, I believe this would be the perfect career avenue for me to excel. It would also mean a lot to me personally as neither one of my parents has continued education past high school. I know that I am slightly older than the typical college student, but almost 10 years of managing my unpredictable health was quite the detriment to my timeline in accomplishing my educational goals. This scholarship would help me accomplish my goals as I start the journey to obtain my Associate's Degree in Cancer Information Management. It would help lessen the financial strain while allowing me to balance the expenses in my daily life. This contribution to my educational goals would enable my family to manage a realistic quality of life during the time of my educational journey. I would be indebted to even the thought of being considered for this scholarship as it would mean so much for me to not only overcome the obstacle of my stagnant educational status after cancer but also to accomplish a milestone that neither of my parents ever accomplished. Having a degree would open so many doors for my continued future that I literally fought so hard to be a part of. Leukemia bought me: 165 days in the hospital, multi-organ failure, 5 weeks on a ventilator, an emergent stem cell transplant in the ICU, graft vs host disease, and most importantly a new lease on life. I am grateful to be here and to be able to even request to be considered for this scholarship. I appreciate the opportunity to be heard and to accomplish something to make my parents and family proud (even at 37.)