I am honored to participate in the 2019 Students of the Year program, a seven-week initiative in which select high school students from around the country participate in a fundraising competition to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I am proud to be raising critical dollars in honor of my little sister who is in remission from a blood cancer. Each dollar is a vote. The candidate that raises the most money at the end of the seven weeks is named Student of the Year. My mission is to not only raise the most money but also to bring attention to blood cancers like Leukemia, which is the most common form of cancer in children and teens.

I was a freshman at Little Miami High School when my younger sister Jess was diagnosed AML. Jess was a sixth grader at Little Miami Intermediate when she was diagnosed. For those of you who aren’t familiar with AML it is Acute Myeloid Leukemia. AML has a very aggressive and long inpatient treatment. I remember the moment and day that I was told my sister is diagnosed like it was yesterday. My life was changed forever by one word, leukemia, and my life is still continuing to change today by that same word.

Transitioning into high is hard enough, but to find out a month and half into my freshman year that my sister has cancer was not something I expected. Jess started complaining about a pain in her wrist after her cheer practice, my parents took her numerous doctors appointments and couldn’t figure out why she was feeling a pain in her wrist. My mom told me she’s not sure what’s happening with Jess so she is getting blood tests done for diseases like cancer. At that moment I thought cancer was bit of a stretch and that there was no possible way for Jess to have it because nobody in my family history has ever had cancer. But she wanted to give me a heads up about our upcoming week.

I play soccer for Little Miami High School and the day my sister was diagnosed was a huge game for my school, a conference championship game. It was September 26, 2016. My mom told me she wouldn’t make it my game because she and Jess were getting test results back. My parents are my biggest fans. I remember looking back up in the stands at my dad multiple times during the game. He was on the phone a lot and was sitting alone. That’s when I knew something was wrong. We won the game, I was so happy. I walked over to my dad at the end of the game and he talked about how proud he was of me and my team, but he also told me he had to tell me something when we get to the car. He tried to tell me there was a lot of unknowns as we tried to prepare for my sisters cancer diagnosis. It took me a moment to process it. I didn’t know how to react at first. My dad was devastated and he told me not to call my mom or sister crying because Jess cannot see me break down and that I need to be strong for Jess. I didn’t sleep at all that night, I called my mom, but I kept crying so I wasn’t able to talk to Jess and all I wanted to do was see her. I cannot even imagine the horrible feeling my sister felt when she was told she has cancer. The pain we all felt was just the first step in the beginning of her treatment.

For the next six months I had to watch helplessly on the sidelines as my sister suffered and endured Leukemia. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done and I wasn’t the one who had cancer. It was most certainly not something I was prepared for either. Jess was not only my sister but my best friend and being separated from her for six months broke my heart. My mom and dad tried the best they could to swap places for weekends and some weekdays so my mom was able to spend time with me and Zac as well as cheer me on at my basketball games. My family spent numerous hours and days at Cincinnati Children’s trying to be a normal family, but nothing my family was going through was normal. I spent many dinners, afternoons, and holidays at Children’s with my sister because she was unable to go home. Not all of the numerous hours and days we spent at Children’s were heartbreaking. I made memories that I will never ever forget and tried to have plenty of fun with Jess throughout her chemotherapy. We made princess goodie bags and gifts for the sweetest little two year old girl who lost her battle to cancer, we brought our dog to see Jess, we went on walks to help keep the little amount on muscle strength she had left, we decorated her room, made friends with other families, celebrated holidays, learning how to play the piano, had hospital sleepovers, made forts out of blankets on her hospital bed, and even got a new puppy! All of those memories and bittersweet moments don’t disguise the ugly side of cancer. I admire Jessica’s strength through it all. She faced all of her challenges head on with grace. No family should ever have to watch a loved one fight cancer. Chemotherapy is not only aggressive, it took so much away from my sister and my family. Jess tried to hold onto her hair for as long as possible. For weeks my mom brushed her hair and it continued to fall out. I can’t imagine what she felt when she shaved what little hair she had left. She had many bumps in her journey, uncertain of what would happen next. From side effects of chemo to fevers that prevented her from seeing family. I couldn’t imagine losing my sister. One day I walked down my sisters hallway and passed a dad of two newborn babies he was pushing in a cradle, they were both hooked up to an IV that was attached to their cradle. Those babies were brought into the world fighting for their lives, that battle will impact them forever. My mom called me one night upset. She told me about a kid who moved in across the hall from Jess, he wasn’t doing to well that week and that night he had passed away in his sleep. My mom had expressed how his mom started crying unbearably when he passed away. I don’t want anyone to experience what I went through as a sibling, but most importantly I do not want anyone to experience what my sister had to go through to save her own life.

Not only experiencing my sisters own battle, but others around her has inspired me to participate in Students of the Year. I want a cure.The reason why my sister is alive and healthy is because of cancer research. Cancer research saved not only my sister’s life but plenty of other lives too. Cancer research is funded by organizations like The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I am fighting for cure so that no one has to watch their sister battle cancer, no babies are brought into this world with cancer, no mom has to watch her child lose their battle, and most importantly so that NOBODY has to hear that they have been diagnosed with cancer. It all starts with funding cancer research.

All donations are greatly appreciated and are tax deductible. They'll not only support LLS-funded research but will help provide critical information and support for patients. Donations can be made by credit card, paypal, or a check mailed to 4370 Glendale Milford Rd. Cincinnati, OH 45242. Please make checks payable to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society or LLS, and add Chelsie Voge on the memo line.

Please visit my webpage often and bring friends who would also like to donate! Thank you for your support!

For more information about LLS, please visit www.lls.org.