Riley Lavinder

2023 Scholarship Winner

I received the news of my mothers’ first diagnosis in the spring of fourth grade. We had just got our new house, and I was still in the process of adjusting to the new location. Little did I know the huge adjustment I would have to endure when I received this news. I didn’t fully understand the situation due to my young age. I had heard the words “breast cancer” only a few times in my life and never had any reason to look further into it or to understand it. With the news began the treatments, surgeries, wigs, orange bottles, and hospital visits. I saw the effect this had on not only my mom, but on my entire family. Which is why, come my 6th grade year, her second diagnosis worried me the most. I knew she had beaten it before, but this time it was scarier, a brain tumor. I was lucky to receive support on all sides, not only did friends and family give my mom support but they made sure my sister and I were both okay during the entire process.

I decided to save her third diagnosis for its own paragraph because I was older and able to discover a piece of media that would help me through it. I was lying in my bed, not long after my mom’s third cancer diagnosis with many questions swirling through my head. I decided to reach for my airpods. While I knew the song Soon You’ll Get Better was on Taylor Swift’s album, Lover, I had never really listened to it. I knew it was a song that had been, supposedly, written about her own experience with her mother having cancer. I decided to listen to it hoping it would provide me with some sense of comfort, or at least something to relate to. As my thumb pressed down on the song title, I started a listening experience I will never experience the same way again; every lyric struck me with fierce reality and remembrance of what it was like the past two times we had had to go through this. I knew she’d be okay, but memories of all the surgeries and treatments she’d have to go through all over again flooded through me. Three surgeries and many treatments later, she is healthy and cancer free. While the worry it could happen all over again is still there, I know I will always have this song to help.

Something else that will always help is the memory of the Little Pink Houses of Hope trip. It offered a time for my entire family to get away from home together. As a family who’s not the most adventurous, this trip gave us the opportunity to try many new things: kayaking, paddle boarding, and outdoor games. We were able to have a family puzzle and game night every night which my mother always loves. This trip allowed me to have new hands-on experiences. Something that I admire most about the trip was that everything was donated: people’s houses, time, and money. I couldn’t believe this much kindness was put together for my family to have an escape.

These great examples of selflessness inspired me to do what I could to help those around me. I went on to donate my hair twice, once in 2017 to Pantene Beautiful Lengths and again in 2022 to Children with Hair Loss. I volunteered at The Woman In Pink, an organization that helped my mom by providing her with a wig and loving support when she went through chemotherapy. I gave a week both during my Sophomore and Junior summers to go on mission trips with Carolina Cross Connection. I stayed in Girl Scouts until Sophomore year and earned my Bronze and Silver Awards, both which require many hours of community service. I donated blood at my school with One Blood and plan to donate again. Last year, my first year at Stuart Cramer, I approached my coach about a “Pink Out” softball game with the proceeds going to The Woman in Pink. Coach loved the idea as many people are affected by breast cancer, and it would be a  great way to bring awareness. The game was a success, and my coach plans to have a “Pink Out” game for many years to come.

The Little Pink Houses of Hope trip helped me learn what it really means to give back. It showed me how much kindness there truly is in the world. It gave me hands-on experiences that showed me what I want to do with the rest of my life; something hands-on that I can use to help others. While I’m not exactly sure what I want to do, I know I need to go to college to figure it out and further my education. While I’m scared to try new things, the trip showed me I can try new things and experiences because that’s the one true way to find what I’ll truly love.