Meet Claire
Claire was diagnosed with Leukemia at the age of 5. After months of grueling treatments, she relapsed at just 7 years old and her Leukemia was deemed to be very aggressive. She received a bone marrow transplant and had a difficult recovery, spending a week on a ventilator in the pediatric ICU.
Podcast : Listen to Claire tell her story in her own words.
Claire is now 22 years old and, while her cancer has not returned, she has been living with severe, long-term effects from her cancer. This includes cataracts in both of her eyes, arthritis in most of her joints, stage 3 kidney disease, and anxiety.
Claire had not attended a program for pediatric cancer patients since 2011. She didn’t realize how much she still needed support, even though she was cancer-free. In 2020, she was offered the opportunity to attend a retreat for young adult pediatric cancer survivors through the Shining Stars All-Stars Program.
Claire shared that “before the young adult program, I hadn't thought much about how my anxiety and difficulty making friends could be attributed to being sick and my treatments. I also hadn’t really thought that much about secondary cancers and other life-long late effects that I need to be aware of and need to watch out for.”
For Claire, the greatest impact of the program has been “being able to talk and spend time with people who have shared experiences.” She reminisced about how “being able to laugh and talk about things like how much an abdominal CT scan with contrast sucks was really refreshing because I can’t have conversations like that every day with people that understand.”
The impact for Claire goes beyond just making friends. “The young adult programs have made me a more informed survivor and given me tools to be more aware of my health and the things I need to watch out for long-term.”
Claire continues to participate in the program, deepening her connection with her peers, while gaining the tools she needs to thrive in adulthood.
“I am so thankful for these opportunities and the friendships I have been able to grow and will continue to maintain.”
