Survivor Stories

  • Meet Josh

    Meet Josh

    "Through my survivorship I have finally understood life is sacred," says Josh Ortega.
    - 2011-2012 Beyond the Cure scholarship recipient.

    → Click here to read all of Josh's motivating words.

  • Meet Callie

    Meet Callie

    "I keep moving because I know that those who work hard and push through the tough times are those that get the most out of life."

    → Click here to read all of Callie's motivating words.

  • Meet Brayden

    Meet Brayden – Retinoblastoma “Warrior"

    "My son, Brayden, was diagnosed with bilateral Retinoblastoma at two weeks old."

    → Click here to read what his mom has to say about this brave little warrior.

  • Meet Amanda

    Meet Amanda

    "Cancer is an unfortunate way to find the insight and inspiration to live life in reverence for the reality of your mortality," says Amanda, "like every day is your last wake-up call."

    → Click here to read this scholarship winner’s entire inspirational essay.

  • Meet Sarah

    Meet Sarah

    "I know I have been given a gift and cannot waste my life just waiting for the cancer to return someday"

    → Click here to read this scholarship winner’s entire inspirational essay.

  • Meet Rambunctious Roman

    Roman was a happy, healthy kindergartener who had never been sick longer than 48 hours in his entire life.

    But that all changed in October 2010…

    → Click here to read all of Roman’s story

  • Meet Cassie

    “Cancer ATTACKED... Cancer TOOK... Cancer LOST... Cassie SURVIVED!!!”

    Cassie Bess, a 2011-2012 Beyond the Cure Scholarship recipient said in her winning essay "until a cure is found it is my dream that I can help children fight their battle. Allowing them to put their name in the place of mine is my life's motto.…

    → Click here to read all of Cassie’s motivating words

  • Meet Mary

    “Life is hard, fun, sad and very unpredictable, but I believe cancer has given me the drive to fight and succeed,”

    says 2011-2012 Beyond the Cure scholarship recipient, Mary McKee. Mary, diagnosed with leukemia at age 10, eloquently shares her cancer experience in her winning essay.…

    → Click here to read all of Mary’s inspirational words

  • Meet John

    John is a 2011-2012 Beyond the Cure Scholarship winner. Diagnosed close to thirteen years ago, with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia, John's winning essay eloquently expresses his perspective on what life means to him as a cancer survivor. It is his belief that…

    “no cancer survivor is truly cancer-free. I will carry it with me for the rest of my life.”

    John’s amazing outlook is apparent throughout his essay and goes so far to say, “I am genuinely grateful for my cancer experience because without it, I know I would be a very different person today.”…

    → Click here to read all of to read all of his inspiring words

  • Meet Liz

    Liz expects nothing but the best from herself whether in the classroom or on the playing field.

    She excelled in high school with over a 4.0 GPA and played on her school’s varsity soccer, swim and softball teams. Her remarkable drive to succeed made Liz stand out in all areas of her life, so when she began to fall behind at soccer practice it was obvious to everyone around her something was amiss. Without any obvious reason as to why she could no longer keep up, Liz’s parents took her to the doctor, hoping for some answers. Her pediatrician couldn’t find anything apparently wrong, but ordered blood work just in case... Liz had leukemia.

    → Click here to read all of to read Liz’s full story

  • Meet Nicholas

    Nicholas was a happy two-and-a-half year old boy when his right elbow started hurting. Initial X-rays looked normal, but the pain continued to get worse and soon a lump became visible in Nick’s forearm. A biopsy revealed that the mass was malignant, a diagnosis Nick’s parents didn’t expect to hear.

    “Finding out your child has cancer feels like an emotional knockout punch,”

    said parents, Scott and Jade. Nick was diagnosed with a malignant extrarenal rhabdoid tumor, a highly aggressive form of cancer that requires an equally aggressive treatment.…

    → Click here to read all of to read Nicholas’s full story

  • Meet Molly

    Going through childhood cancer as a family turns your world upside down.

    Imagine facing that news not once, but twice, which is what the Williams family has endured. They had already battled Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS)/Monosomy 7 with older son, Luke, when his mother, Julie, started noticing bruises on two-year-old daughter, Molly. At Molly’s upcoming check-up appointment, Julie insisted on getting blood work done. Her fears were confirmed when Molly was diagnosed with the same rare disease that her brother had faced only a few years earlier. MDS involves various blood-related conditions for which the only cure for children is a bone marrow transplant.…

    → Click here to read all of to read Molly’s full story

  • Meet Noah

    A Blessing in Disguise

    Elizabeth Shaw was new to parenthood when she noticed that her three-month-old son, Noah, wasn’t focusing his eyes on anyone or anything. Noah’s four-month checkup was just around the corner so during his regular appointment, Elizabeth urged Noah’s pediatrician to examine his eyes. Elizabeth’s instincts proved to be on target when later that day Noah was diagnosed with bilateral retinoblastoma, a rapidly developing cancer that grows in the cells of both retinas.…

    → Click here to read all of to read Noah’s full story

  • Meet Chase

    Living Life to the Fullest

    Battling osteosarcoma as a teenage boy for over nine months impacted Chase Meacham’s entire life from the point of diagnosis on. Amidst the 35 rounds of chemotherapy, the 140 days in the hospital and a limb-salvation operation where doctors removed a tumor from his left knee and replaced a large portion of his leg with a titanium prosthetic, Chase discovered the experience didn't have to be all negative and used it as an opportunity to look on the brighter side of things.…

    → Click here to read all of to read Chase’s full story

  • Meet Ashley

    “The most important thing we can do as a cancer survivor is share our experience.…”

    Shortly after being diagnosed, a woman from my church, who I had seen struggle with breast cancer and bravely fight to defeat it, sat me down to talk. She said to me, among other things, “Welcome to the cancer club”. I'll admit, this struck me as odd. It seems like having cancer had made me a member of some selective elite society. At the time, I suppose I took it more of just an expression. To my surprise though, a club is exactly what it ended up being.…

    → Click here to read all of to read Ashley’s full story

  • Meet Josh

    Tackling Cancer One Obstacle at a Time

    The summer of 2009 started out very ordinary for the Cooper family and their five year-old son. Josh, an energetic, inquisitive boy who loved sports, kept his parents busy with his passion for football, wrestling, baseball, soccer, and basketball. It was that love of sports and a seemingly normal day of tee-ball practice that changed the Cooper family forever.…

    → Click here to read all of to read Josh’s full story

  • Meet Cole

    “I built mental strength and determination to do whatever it took to face these challenges…”

    In May, 2008, I was a physically fit, 16-year old football player. I felt great. I had no idea what a lymph node was, let alone know anyone who had cancer. With one lump, life forever changed. I initially struggled with the fear of the unknown — cancer, chemo, radation and losing my hair. I had to quickly educate myself on this disease, and endure a grueling treatment.…

    → Click here to read all of to read Cole’s full story

Meet some of the kids NCCS has helped throughout the years. View their pictures and read their stories. We're sure they will inspire you - just as they inspire us each and every day!