No one fights alone

My cancer journey started in 2011 at age 14 during super bowl weekend of my high school freshman year. I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. My mother took me to the emergency room after a doctor office visit to rule out appendicitis due to stomach pain. Doctors quickly discovered that my white blood cell count was 100 times normal level and immediately admitted me to the pediatric intensive care unit. The next day my parents told me I had cancer and life took an unexpected turn. Our world changed in an instant and I spent the next 11 days in the PICU at Morristown Memorial Hospital and the next three and a half years on chemotherapy. My family and I were met with the care, love, kindness, understanding, and support that I soon came to know as The Valerie Fund. The staff at the Valerie Fund Center-Morristown is a second family to me. Through my years of treatment and to this day they have always made me feel comforted, informed, and relaxed when I go there. I have been cancer free for 7 years and this year marks my 1 year anniversary of being employed at a great company called GridUnity. I have been apart of The Valerie Fund community for 10 years now and have been supporting other patients post treatment for seven years. Reflecting back on the entire experience I am grateful to be alive, grateful for the love and support of family, doctors, nurses, friends, and grateful for The Valerie Fund. As envisioned by the founder’s Sue and Ed Goldstein, The Valerie Fund was there for me, close to home, to assist me when I heard the words “you have cancer.” Join my team to help The Valerie Fund assist other children and their families that will hear those same words this year!