Scholarships Awarded to Special Group of Young People

When Kristen was diagnosed with severe aplastic anemia at the age of three, her parents were told she had a less than five percent chance of survival. In a final effort, the doctors started her on a clinical trial medication which, after three months, brought her blood counts back up to normal levels. Her condition has remained stable since then and she has never failed to appreciate her good fortune. She considers herself a leader. In high school, the North Tonawanda, NY native achieved a 3.75 GPA and was elected her chapter’s President of The National Honor Society where she volunteered her time and talents to help several local non-profit organizations. This fall, Kristen will be a freshman at Niagara University in Lewiston, N.Y. where she intends to pursue a communications or journalism degree. She says she would like to have a job that allows her to educate others “regarding serious life issues, including life-threatening diseases, like aplastic anemia."

Christina Chen says she was fortunate that she never fully understood the severity of her aplastic anemia when she was diagnosed ten years ago. Her parents provided love and support and “were the great engineers of keeping me happy” as she went through the treatment that has resulted in what is today a normal life. The pre-med student has taken full advantage of her good fortune, attending the University of Chicago where she will enter her senior year. This is Christina’s second scholarship through AA&MDSIF as she was the recipient of a Harry Carson Scholarship one year ago. The New Orleans native is majoring in biology and is interested in epidemiology and clinical research. She is the President of the Women in Science Academic Club at the university.

Carolyn, whose nickname is Ceci, would like to become a broadcast journalist and she is well on her way. This fall, the Gilbert, Arizona native will be a freshman at Arizona State University. The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism is considered to be one of the best in the country. Recently, she appeared on “The Early Show” on CBS promoting the Be The Match National Bone Marrow Donor Registry. She has a Web site and blog, “Ceci’s Climb”, which is the centerpiece of her campaign to increase the number of potential donors in the bone marrow registry. It also tells the story of her difficult fight with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). After going undiagnosed and struggling with life-threatening bleeding, clotting and infections for six months, as well as numerous transfusions, Carolyn was finally diagnosed with MDS at age 15 and she says it turned her “world upside down.” In December 2009, one of her brothers was found to be a match and she received a bone marrow transplant. Her compromised immune system and low energy made it impossible for Carolyn to go out in public and she missed three years of high school. While her MDS is cured, the eighteen year-old still receives treatment for a side effect of the transplant, chronic graft versus host disease. Despite these obstacles she continues to move forward and says she is “happiest when someone says I’ve inspired them with my words."

Derek Cope is thankful to have a second chance. In the fall of 2009, fully engaged in a challenging pre-med curriculum as well as serving as Vice President of the University Soccer Club, the student-athlete started to feel extremely fatigued. He continued to push himself until one day he collapsed in his dormitory. Soon he was diagnosed with severe aplastic anemia. He had to drop out of Stony Brook University in New York and return home to Jessup, Maryland where he received treatment at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. One year later, after treatment, he returned back to Stony Brook, still suffering from fatigue and a weakened immune system but determined to resume his studies. By January 2011, he was no longer transfusion-dependent and was pronounced in complete remission. While he is still battling some symptoms, Derek has taken up where he left off. He is pursuing a degree in health sciences with a second major in sociology. He is again active with the soccer club – managing two soccer teams of 25 players each. He plans to seek admission into the medical dosimetry clinical program, gaining practical experience mapping out radiology treatments for patients diagnosed with cancer while studying it in the classroom. He hopes to become certified in that field and after a few years of experience, apply to medical school and specialize in oncology.

Kelly’s fight against aplastic anemia began in June 2008 after she innocently told a doctor that she bruised easily during a school physical. The doctor ordered blood work and she was told to immediately report to the emergency room. After she was diagnosed with moderate to severe aplastic anemia, her family was tested to determine if anyone was a donor match for a bone marrow transplant. Fortunately, her sister was a perfect match and two months later Kelly underwent the procedure. Although she had a home tutor, she missed almost her entire freshman year of high school returning with twelve days remaining in the school year. The experience obviously motivated her to succeed as she compiled a 3.92 GPA during high school in her hometown of O’Fallon, Illinois near St. Louis. After job shadowing on the pediatric hematology floor at Children’s Hospital in St. Louis over Christmas break, Kelly says she decided to pursue a career in pediatric nursing “to help kids who are going through similar things that I have gone through.” Kelly will pursue her nursing career at McKendree University close to her home as a freshman this fall. She plans to earn a degree in biology and then apply to the Barnes Jewish School of Nursing in two years. Meanwhile, she will also play Division II lacrosse for McKendree.

Kaitlin says she “has dreamed of wearing scrubs and a lab coat since she was a little girl.” Because she enjoys interacting with people, she has changed course from becoming a medical researcher to pursuing a career as a physician assistant in a hospital. She is currently working towards completing her bachelor’s degree in biobehavioral health at Penn State University with minors in biology, psychology and neuroscience. She will enter her senior year this fall. In the midst of pursuing such a bright future, Kaitlin was diagnosed in fall 2011 with aplastic anemia after a routine check-up showed that she was severely anemic. Even while undergoing tests and feeling extreme fatigue, Kaitlin decided to stick with her full course load and achieved a 4.0 at the end of the semester, an achievement of which she is extremely proud. Raised in Enola, PA, just outside of Harrisburg, Kaitlin is working on her honors thesis and remains President of Young Life Centre County, the local chapter of a nationwide Christian mentorship program for high school students.  After completing her undergraduate coursework, she plans to attend a physician assistant’s program in Pennsylvania and earn her master’s degree.

Through it all, Abigail Hexamer says she “knew it was going to be OK.” Maybe it was just her natural optimism or the fact that she was so busy as a high school senior back in 2008 that she didn’t have time to be sick. Although she was diagnosed with severe aplastic anemia and had no family members match as a potential bone marrow donor, she was at peace with herself. Thanks to immunosuppressant therapy, she is currently celebrating her three-year anniversary of being in remission. Three must be her magic number as this is her third AA&MDSIF scholarship, having earned Harry Carson Scholarships in 2008 and 2011. Abigail recently graduated from Hiram College with a Bachelor of Arts in business management. The Massillon, Ohio native will take prerequisites at two colleges this fall and then apply for the University of Akron Accelerated Nursing Program in the spring of 2013. Abby is an active volunteer at the hospital where she was treated (Akron Children’s Hospital) and is a survivor counselor for children on what she terms “my floor” during the summer. She says her goal is to one day run the floor she was on so she can “spread hope and make sure the same amazing care is given for years to come.”

Four years ago, Bailey says she wasn’t sure if she would graduate high school, go to college or “even see the new year.” That was 2008, the year she was diagnosed with moderate to severe aplastic anemia. She had to give up participating on the high school swimming and water polo teams in her hometown of Cottage Grove, Oregon near Eugene, a choice that was difficult for her. Her grades suffered, but she was just trying to get through the experience. It took almost two years for her to go into remission, but by her senior year of high school she achieved a 4.0 GPA for the spring term. Even though she still receives care, today she looks forward to the future. Bailey will enter her sophomore year at the Oregon Institute of Technology in Klamath Falls, where both of her parents are alumni. Bailey is working towards a Bachelor in Science in vascular technology because she wishes to go into the medical imaging field. She says it was medical imaging (ultrasound) of her veins and arteries that helped with the early discovery of her aplastic anemia. During her treatment at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in Portland, she began to see a role for herself in the medical field. She says, “I knew I wanted to be a part of something that makes such a large contribution and impacts so many people.”

Alexander enjoys helping people. As trumpet section leader and drill captain for the Patuxent High School Band in his hometown of Lusby, Maryland, he has been lauded for his leadership skills, team spirit and ability to teach others. He also enjoys working with children as part of AWANA clubs, a worldwide Christian youth organization at his local church. An outstanding student, Alex will attend Messiah College near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania as a freshman this fall. In 1997, when he was three years old, he was treated for aplastic anemia and underwent a bone marrow transplant. Challenged with a language learning disability, Alex’s doctors think the disability may have been related to his disease. Throughout his school career, Alex’s parents have worked with his teachers helping him overcome it. Alex, who thinks he’d like to go to dental school after college and become an oral surgeon, says “I owe it to my parents for helping me become a normal, independent human being.”

Christian had a long climb back after he was diagnosed with aplastic anemia in August 2006, at age 12. He spent 92 days in the hospital undergoing bone marrow biopsies, blood and platelet transfusions, and receiving antibiotics and immunosuppressive medications. The Dumfries, Virginia native missed his entire seventh grade school year. However, he was very determined to keep pace, and while he was homebound, but still under treatment, managed to complete that school year’s worth of work in five months. By the time he reached high school, he was healthy, but was not allowed to participate in physical activity until his junior year. Since it was too late to join most high school sports, Christian took up a sport of his own. Perhaps to symbolize his own ascendency, Christian took up rock climbing. He says he chose the sport to “prove to myself and others that I could do things they said I couldn’t do or wouldn’t be able to do for a long time.” To Christian, the sport represents persistence and determination. This fall, Christian will combine those qualities along with the academic excellence he has demonstrated throughout. He will attend Virginia Tech as a freshman majoring in biology/chemistry, continuing his path towards a career in medicine.

Top student, counselor at a summer camp that serves children and families coping with cancer, and AAMDSIF volunteer are just a few of Catherine’s qualifications. Diagnosed with aplastic anemia at age four in 1996, the South Hamilton, Massachusetts native has overcome her disease and used her experiences to help other people. This fall, Catherine, who received a bone marrow transplant in 2001, will start her junior year at Wesleyan University in Connecticut majoring in biology and science in society. She hopes to work in the medical field. At school, she is an active volunteer with the Wesleyan Students for Disability Rights organization. She is a familiar face to AA&MDSIF staff, as she organized a craft fair that has run for twelve years, and she has also volunteered at conferences and performed advocacy work. This is Catherine’s second scholarship through AA&MDSIF.

"Playing trumpet is what I love and will do for the rest of my life,” says Tim. He is now majoring in Music Performance at Saint Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota and wants to play for a professional orchestra. Entering his junior year, Tim is well on his way to achieving his dreams. He is the lead trumpet in the St. Olaf Jazz Band, which won an award as the top undergraduate jazz ensemble in the U.S. last year. This summer, he has been selected to come to Washington, D.C. and participate in the National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute during the month of July. He will also be traveling to China to tour with the St. Olaf’s Orchestra. Tim was diagnosed with aplastic anemia in 2005 when he was in seventh grade. He had little understanding of his disease, but was told by his parents he had to quit playing sports, his second love, until they figured out what to do. His blood counts were so low, he was told he would need a bone marrow transplant if they became worse. Before undergoing any drastic treatments, Tim’s parents sent him to his grandparents in Colorado, hoping that a change to a high-altitude environment would help. After four extended trips to Colorado in one year, his counts gradually improved and remarkably, Tim was able to resume a normal life.

Samantha always thought she wanted to be a nurse until she received treatment from Theresa, a physician assistant at The National Institutes of Health (NIH) who she calls her “role model and mentor.” Now that she says she has become “enamored” with the duties of a physician assistant, she hopes to become one herself. This fall, Samantha will pursue a dual degree in Physician Assistant Studies after a two-year leave of absence from college due to her health. Samantha will be working towards obtaining her BS in Health Sciences from the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia and and will then pursue her MS from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. It will be a five-year program. Originally diagnosed with aplastic anemia in October 2007, Samantha achieved remission but had a subsequent relapse in 2009. Samantha was treated with immunosuppressive treatments that were only partially successful. Because a match could not be found, a bone marrow transplant was not available to her, so in March 2011 she underwent a cord blood transplant at NIH, receiving blood from two donors: a baby’s cord blood and a half-matched donor, her father. An outstanding high school student, the Sicklerville, New Jersey native graduated with honors despite missing a lot of time due to her illness. Samantha is once again trying to live out her life’s dreams.

Christopher Nein has always wanted to be a doctor and this fall he is taking a significant step towards that goal as he will attend Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia. Diagnosed with aplastic anemia at age two, Chris received a bone marrow transplant from his brother that saved his life. He is a young man with big dreams. After going on a mission trip to Haiti, Chris says he decided that he would someday like to open a clinic there and dedicate his life to “bringing medical care to the poorest people living in the worst conditions on our side of the Earth.” This is Chris’s second AA&MDSIF scholarship, qualifying as a Harry Carson Scholar last year. The Old Dominion University graduate sees his aplastic anemia diagnosis as a blessing that has made him more compassionate and will lead him to be a great doctor.

This is Kylene’s second consecutive AA&MDSIF scholarship. It’s difficult enough to overcome one life-threatening disease. Imagine fighting through two of them. Kylene was first diagnosed with aplastic anemia in February 2009 when she was a junior in high school near her hometown of Island Lake, Illinois. After undergoing ATG immunosuppressive therapy, her blood counts started to rise and her recovery seemed assured until September of that year when she came down with a strep infection which led to acute renal failure. She again survived, but then received another devastating diagnosis. She was told she had PNH. The turning point occurred three months later when she was started on the medicine Eculizumab (Soliris®) which again brought her blood counts close to normal and allowed her to think about resuming her life. After all that she went through, Kylene says she decided that she wanted to “help others the way that I was helped” so she is pursuing a degree in nursing, specializing in hematology/oncology. This fall, she will start her junior year at Elmhurst College in Illinois.

San Jose native Gina Seith is heavily influenced by the realities of the world she sees around her, but equally influenced by things she can’t see, but can only imagine. When she begins college as a freshman at the University of San Diego this fall, Gina will start to determine whether she wants to pursue a degree in political science or physics. Her interest in political science emanates from what she describes as a “genuine concern for people and their well-being” and the experiences she’s had being an aplastic anemia survivor and meeting others who are ill. Her interest in physics stems from a curiosity about things that are mysteries of the universe and things that can’t be answered, including how she became ill with a rare disease. Gina was originally diagnosed with severe aplastic anemia in 2003 when she was eight years old. While never cured, her immunosuppressive treatments kept the disease at bay until her sophomore year of high school when her platelet counts dropped rapidly. Up to that time in 2010, she had been a good student, volunteer for the biannual school blood drive and a member of the swim team. However, she soon became very ill which caused her to miss a lot of school, drop some of her activities and receive additional treatments. Despite this major setback, Gina persevered and finished her high school academic career with a 3.4 GPA which included coursework in Honors English.

Lydia will begin her senior year at Vanderbilt University this fall. She is pursuing a degree in engineering science but plans to apply to law school soon after graduating in 2013. Although engineering and law appear to be unrelated disciplines, Lydia sees it differently. She believes that both lawyers and engineers utilize similar analytical and technical skills. While her preference is to practice public interest law in the area of women’s rights, she is also interested in patent law. A year ago, talk of future plans was just a dream for Lydia. In February 2011, Lydia had to withdraw from Vanderbilt due to her aplastic anemia diagnosis. She went through ATG treatment and chemotherapy close to her Pennsauken, N.J. home, but has now come out the other side, both physically and emotionally. Lydia says she was able to return to Vanderbilt for the fall 2011 semester with a new determination to “live like I was dying”. Lydia lost weight, joined a sorority and significantly raised her grade point average. She says that acceptance of her disease was the final stage of a personal transformation. She does not let her disease define her. It is only a small part of who she is.

Sage Thomas is very thankful for the opportunity to attend college, her second AA&MDSIF scholarship and most of all, for life. When she was ten years old, she was diagnosed with severe aplastic anemia and told there was little chance of finding a match for a bone marrow transplant. She was soon hospitalized at Children’s Hospital of Milwaukee, more than 50 miles from her Plymouth, Wisconsin home, and treated with ATG and other immunosuppressive treatments. Today, while she says she struggles to find “that balance between schoolwork, work, social activities and staying healthy”, she is a freshman at Carroll University in Waukesha, WI where she is studying communications. In April of this year, she helped run a bone marrow drive at her college and plans to run another one in her own community this summer. She also volunteers at Children’s Hospital where she was treated and she would love to work for them someday.