I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma on February 13, 2007 during my senior year of high school. I discovered my cancer because of a visible mass in the lymph nodes on the left side of my neck... I was treated for my cancer because my mom leaned into her "mother's intuition" and pushed for me to go to the doctor despite the fact that I "felt fine."
When I was diagnosed, everything changed in a heartbeat. Instead of participating in all of the fun senior year activities and getting ready to start college in the fall, I was going through chemo and radiation and spending the rest of my time in bed wishing I could be literally anywhere else.
Because I had just turned 18, I was technically considered an adult for treatment purposes… But despite fitting the medical and legal definition of an adult, I was far from ready for what I had to face. And yet, there I was... ready or not, cancer doesn't care. Every other Thursday, I showed up at the cancer center infusion room, looking around for a single person who looked like me. Of course, nobody did. Nearly everyone in the room with me was two… three… four times my age. I was isolated everywhere I went.
I couldn’t go to school because of the risk of infection… and even if I could, my peers no longer knew how to connect with me. At the cancer center, I was surrounded by people who didn’t quite understand what I was going through, because things like missing prom don't mean the same thing once you're over the age of 20. And at home, my younger brother did his best to support me -- and he provided the most incredible support that I'll never be able to repay him for -- but realistically, he was just a 14-year-old kid that had been thrust into a difficult role he never asked for either.
Cancer is a terrible experience at any stage of life, but the adolescent and young adult cancer community faces a unique set of psychosocial obstacles during their treatment and for years to follow. Before I was diagnosed, all I wanted to do was play varsity tennis, go to prom, graduate, and go off to college, but those milestones suddenly felt insignificant. Now, eighteen years later, it's easy to look back and say, "I'm so lucky my body responded well to my treatment" and "I'm so lucky I didn't have medical complications" and "I'm so lucky I graduated on time" and "I'm so grateful for all the friendships I made as a result," but the reality is, it's taken eighteen years of active healing, with a lot of dark days in between, to come to that perspective. And while I can fully embrace my cancer story as an inextricable and treasured part of who I am today, there are still some days that I sit and wonder what my life would have been like if I hadn't had to face such a significant, frightening, and life-altering experience at the age of 18.
My survivorship journey is the reason why I'm participating in the 2025 Lobo Cancer Challenge. I am a native New Mexican, an eighteen-year cancer survivor, and a proud friend to many other young adult cancer survivors. This cause is important to me in a way that can't be put into words, but I'm honored to have the opportunity to participate and raise money for an important cause.
All of the funds raised by the Lobo Cancer Challengers support cancer patient care, research, community outreach, or education and training at The University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center in Albuquerque. I have specifically chosen Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer as my fundraising focus, so every dollar you donate will help other young patients and survivors like me. 🎗️
I would love for you to join me on this journey. You can sign up to join Team Sunward to participate with me. If you can't, please consider making a contribution to my fundraising goal - simply click the “Donate” button to make a gift today. Every single dollar helps me toward my fundraising goal, and it stays right here to help people in our state. From the bottom of my heart, I appreciate your support! 💜
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Lobo Cancer Challenge
September 20, 2025
University Stadium
Albuquerque, New Mexico
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With the only “Comprehensive” designation from the National Cancer Institute in the region, The University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center is among the top 3% of cancer centers in the United States. Your support helps us to deliver world-class cancer care and treatments based on the most advanced, life-saving research to the people of New Mexico.
