One day my parents told my brother and me to sit down and let us know they had something to talk to us about. My mind raced with anything I possibly could have done wrong, but drew a blank. Without much ado, my parents told me that my mom had been diagnosed with breast cancer. My brother and I sat there, not really sure how to respond, and stunned into silence.

I remember it was a Sunday, the day after Halloween, November 1st. I spent the rest of the day watching football on TV without saying a word, and didn’t say much the next day in school either.

When I was younger, one of my aunts was diagnosed with breast cancer as well, but I was too young to understand what that actually meant. The next few months sort of became a blur. My grades didn’t drop in school, but I still had much on my mind all the time. Although by this point
I at least had an understanding of what cancer actually did, I was still too young to understand different forms of cancer and different severities, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.

My family received a huge outpouring of support from our friends, family, and community. People would often drop off dinner for my brother and me as my dad stayed in the hospital with my mom during treatment. People were always offering prayers and support, and anyone who could help in any way offered to. But often, despite appreciating all the support, I just wanted to operate my normal life. I wasn’t really sure how I was supposed to react to it, but I think I convinced myself that if I just pretended everything was normal that things would actually be normal.

But every day the uncertainty of my mom’s health loomed over me. For many months of my life, I lived unsure of what my future would look like, wondering what my life would be like living without my mom.

Little Pink Houses of Hope gave our family a break from our harsh reality and allowed us to just enjoy life for one week. We would be going to a part of the country we had never been to before, and I was excited to go, but wasn’t really sure how my brother and I would interact with the other kids there.

For the first few days of the retreat, everyone was polite, but none of the kids interacted all that much. However, by the middle of the week, after a pool party on Wednesday night, we were inseparable. Despite coming from all different parts of the country and only knowing each other for a few days, we were able to bond quickly. We spent the rest of the retreat hanging out together, doing all the activities together, and stayed in contact for long after we went home.

Little Pink Houses of Hope gave me a chance to not have to think about anything else for a week, and created a memory that I will remember for the rest of my life.

After my mom’s treatment was complete, and I saw how much support our family had received from the community, I decided to give back in a similar way for my Eagle Project. For my Eagle Project, the most difficult part of the requirements for the rank of Eagle Scout, I decided to create care packages, and with many donations and the help of many volunteers, I was able to put together 500 care packages to deliver to cancer patients and their families at Overlook Hospital in Summit, New Jersey, to help give back the same way I received support a few years before.

By attending college, I hope to be able to meet new people and make new connections and friends. I also hope to gain more independence and get to experience a completely different way of life than what I have been used to for the past 18 years of my life. Most importantly, I am going to get a strong education to prepare me for the rest of my life. I am planning to study Computer Science or Data Science in college, and I am also interested in Business and Political Science.

While I do not have specific life and career goals, I hope a degree in Computer Science will allow me to get a position in a top technology company, and in my future, I hope to potentially be able to create and start my own business.

The cost of college is undoubtedly a huge factor when determining which college to attend, and this scholarship would go a long way, with Little Pink Houses of Hope changing my life twice for the better.