One Gift... Countless Results
Karen with her mother Rosa at the CSF Gala
Karen is a sophomore at Baylor University majoring in Chemistry. She has survived sarcoma. In her own words:
“There
are many things people take for granted.
It could be wealth, a roof over your head, people you love, or in
my case, health. For most of
my life, I believed that my chance of getting cancer was approximately
equal to my chance of winning something like the lottery; the odds seemed
extremely minute. Forget about
getting cancer, I’ve never even broken an arm when many of the kids at
school wore a cast on their freshly fractured limb.
This was what I believed until I fell into this 'minority.'
All
the hours I spent in the MD Anderson treatment rooms also taught me
something important about my parents.
They love me more than I will ever know.
They guarded by my bed when I received my chemotherapy medicine.
Every single minute I spent there, why would be there for me.
Whenever I needed anything, they would do their best to ensure in
my comfort.
As
a child growing up, I went through many phases.
For a time, I wanted to be an actress.
Another period of time, I yearned to be a singer.
However, realistically, I
was only sure of one thing—it would be science related.
In my mind, I can see myself back at MD Anderson joining the team
of doctors that aided in my recovery.
My goal now is to help people all over the world to diagnose any
cancer in their body before it is too late. Although cancer is now a part
of my past, the values I acquired during that time will always remain with
me.
CSF has changed my life by giving me a chance to continue my studies and reach my goal. I am grateful for all the love and support I receive from my CSF family.”
