Jane Finley
$1000 Winner
Survivor
Please welcome Jane to the winner’s circle! In 2015 Jane was diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkin’s lymphoma. In the summer of 2016 she relapsed. Jane will attend Miami University with a major in biology with pre-med. . Jane is actively involved in her community and school. She is a lieutenant for the drill team, student council member, member of the National Honors Society, and Chairman of the Youth Philanthropic Foundation. She has given her time volunteering at the Village Project which is a group that makes me4als for families affected by cancer. She is also serving as the Leukemia & Lymphoma society Student of the Year board member and mentor.
“A cancer diagnosis of any kind would change someone’s life but I never thought in a million years it could make me an entirely different person. I was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in October of 2015 and after growing up never getting sick, I had cancer. I started 4 rounds of chemotherapy and was pulled from school. Education has always been a top priority of mine and being taken out of school killed me more than the chemo. I didn’t have normal communication with anyone and was forced to be homeschooled. I was in remission in January of 2016 and went back to school, only to find 6 months later I would be diagnosed again with a relapse of Hodgkin’s on my 14th birthday. I started fertility treatment in hopes of having children one day; another thing I never thought I would be thinking about at that age. I began another 4 rounds of more intense chemotherapy that would knock me down more than ever. In October 2016, I received my stem-cell transplant that would quarantine me in the hospital for a month and a half with very little communication with even my family. I completed 18 rounds of proton radiation that has caused long term problems for me now and began a 16 round immunosuppressive chemotherapy. I went back to school halfway through my freshman year with very little motivation and knowledge. My brain does not function like most and the “chemo brain” took a lot out of me. Tests and homework became impossible and caused my mental health to deteriorate. Although I’m still affected by the disease every day, I have genuinely improved in the best way. Cancer has given me endless opportunities and led me to realize exactly what I need to do in life. It has become the biggest and greatest part of my life but it will never be able to define me. Most people would run and I wanted to but instead I chose to go into it and face it head on. That’s the person I’ll always be. “
Best of luck Jane!
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