Lake Zurich, Illinois
Lake Zurich High School
Post Transplant
Lymphoproliferative Disease

Soon after my second heart transplant in 2005, I was diagnosed with a transplant-related cancer known as PTLD (post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease). The cancer disappeared after a few months of chemotherapy. In November 2007, I received my third heart transplant. I assumed that my cancer worries were gone with the old heart. But last summer, I was once again diagnosed with PTLD, this time in my abdomen. The weeks that followed were rough. My trip to Utah was cancelled. I went completely bald, which is rather traumatic for a high school junior. I missed most of first semester. But I tried to stay positive. My bright side was, and is, my wig; with my hair growing back into a frizzy afro, I never have to worry about a bad hair day.

School was a struggle. With two AP classes, an honors math class, and a before-school church class, the makeup work seemed impossible at times. I taught myself most of the material from textbooks and teacher’s notes. One of my goals has always been to graduate in the top ten; that idea kept me motivated in completing all the work. I managed to maintain my 4.0 GPA and was invited to join the National Honors Society. I admit there are days when I don’t feel like smiling. But what’s the point in being miserable all the time? Cancer and chemotherapy are depressing anyways; you’ll make the challenge that much better if you at least try to smile through it.