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Shannon with CSF Founder Yeshim Yonter and
Board Member Sema Turel
March 11, 2006
Shannon is a sophomore at Texas A&M University majoring in Liberal Arts-Psychology. She has survived Wilm's Tumor. In her own words:
"Having cancer at a very young age and for a very long
period of time challenged me in several ways and changed the views I had
on life at a young age. I had to deal with 9 surgeries and years of chemo
and radiation. Along with these struggles I lost my hair and weight and
had to deal with countless stares of unknowing strangers. As if my own
pain was not enough I watched friends that I met at the hospital battling
with their own pain and meet their inevitable fate. I learned at a very
young age that life was not fair and the people you come into contact with
are not always understanding of your problems. My values have been molded
around my experience with cancer. I know to take everyday as if it may be
my last, to embrace friends because they may be gone before you know it,
and to never let other people's ignorance bother you. Being forced to
mature at such a young age helped me to realize what the real world was
like and that things don't always go they way you want them and people are
not always caring. I am thankful for the love and support I have found
from my CSF family."
