VCU Medical Center Holds Graduation for Pediatric Cancer Patients

By Isshin Teshima

When 15 year-old Matt Weber was diagnosed with leukemia, he and his family were taken aback and surprised.  

“Hearing the news is always devastating because it’s a total shock. You do not expect to hear that your child has leukemia,” said Debbie Weber, Matt’s mother, as she remembered the day her son was diagnosed. “Initially, all we thought about was, okay, what do we have to do to get him well?”

Matt and his physicians worked hard to fight off the leukemia and despite missing nearly a year of high school, he graduated this month from Collegiate School as valedictorian and an admitted student to Stanford University.

Matt’s story was only one of 20 awe-inspiring tales of perseverance that were highlighted in a graduation ceremony for pediatric cancer patients hosted by Virginia Commonwealth University on June 8.

The ceremony, which has taken place annually for 15 years, was put on by the Hospital Education Program, the VCU Medical Center’s Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Clinic and ASK – The Association for the Support of Children with Cancer.

The ceremony honors graduating high school seniors who continued their academic studies over the years while undergoing treatment at the VCU Medical Center. Of the 20 students recognized this year, 14 students were oncology patients and six were sickle-cell patients.

“Our interdisciplinary team works endlessly to meet the needs and challenges of these young people,” said Alma Morgan, educational consultant at the VCU Medical Center and program organizer. “The rewards are great for we get to work with wonderful children and families, and lifelong friendships are made along the way. Do we love these children and families? You bet!”

Ed Stone, this year’s keynote speaker and a five-time cancer survivor, spoke to the students about the importance of living life, even after cancer has entered a state of remission.

“When I got better from leukemia, I just wanted to be normal,” said Stone. “But what I realized is, A, once you’ve realized the kind of events going through that, you’re going to have a different perspective on life, and B, I realized that no one’s really normal anyway, everyone has their bag of issues.”

In the end, he said that the experiences one goes through while fighting cancer remain forever. It’s how these experiences are used that shapes a person for the future.

“The nice thing about when you get knocked down is that there’s nowhere left to go but up,” Stone said. “Life isn’t about the destination, it’s about the journey.”

Many of the students expressed how surviving cancer has shaped them and had positive advice to other cancer patients in essays that were presented during the ceremony.

“Don’t let your condition stop you from succeeding,” wrote Vincent Braddy. “We are fighters, and our condition only makes us stronger.”

Another student, Jessica West, also echoed a similar sentiment.

“Never give up, fight until you can’t fight anymore,” wrote West. “Being diagnosed with cancer isn’t the end of the world. It’s the beginning of a magnificent adventure. Some say that adventures are only supposed to be filled with happiness. That’s not necessarily true.”

The graduates from Henrico County this year were Caitlin Adkins and Julissa Bondurant from Hermitage High School; Kristi Beck and Vincent Braddy from Varina High School; Sarah Brawly and Molly Kenny from Deep Run High School; Jessica East from Tucker High School; Clara Johnson from Henrico High School; and Sarah Owen from Mills Godwin High School.

Graduates from Hanover County are Elizabeth Powell and Thomas “Clay” Stanley of Patrick Henry High School; and Heidi LeMaster of Lee Davis High School.

Also graduating were Keyosha Smith, Educational Development Center; Dawn Hicks and Greg Owhin, Jr., Charles City High School, Charles City County; Chanel Brown, Meadowbrook High School, Chesterfield County; Brittany Harrison, Greensville County High School, Greensville County; Melissa Eadie, who was home schooled; Matthew Weber, Collegiate School; and Shanay Turner, Huguenot High School, Richmond City.

In the end, Greg Owhin Jr. summed up the event: “Don’t let the disease dictate who you are. But rather you dictate to the disease, who you will be.”