I am thrilled to be a part of the first ever St. Baldrick's event here at Murphy Junior High. In 2008, I participated in my first St. Baldrick's event at my mom's school in Sachem and I have been volunteering for St. Baldrick's ever since that day. I was one of the honored children at the event because I was fighting my own battle with a very aggressive pediatric cancer called Clear Cell Sarcoma of the Kidney. I remember donating my purple piggy bank with over $200 in it to put toward pediatric cancer research. I also got to help shave my dad's head on stage. I was only four years old at the time. I met many children at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital where I was treated who were fighting for their lives just like I was. I made a lot of friends who were going through something similar to what I was going through. Unfortunately, some of my friends weren't as lucky as I was. They lost their battles to cancer. Three years ago, I lost two of the most important people in my life. My poppy and my Aunt Sherrie both lost their battles with cancer. My aunt was only 45 and she had a pediatric cancer called Ewing's Sarcoma. Childhood cancer doesn't only attack children as evidenced by my aunt. Just recently, we lost another dear friend, Rachel, to Ewing's Sarcoma. Rachel was only 21 years old. She had her whole life ahead of her. It was devastating. Statistics show that every two minutes, somewhere in the world a family hears the words that their child has been diagnosed with cancer. Imagine how devastating that would be. In 2007, my parents heard those words. I don't remember this, but they tell me I "led the way" through my treatment. They said I was so positive and they have videos and pictures to prove it. I am so incredibly grateful to be alive today. I feel it is not only my honor, but my duty to be able to raise money and awareness in the fight against pediatric cancer. I want to thank Mr. Gries for making this event possible. I would also like to thank Mr. Pulaski, Mr. Rufa and Ms. Hill. If anyone would like to join my team "Cancer, You're Fired!" please feel free to join me and help me to raise money for kids with cancer. My goal this year is to raise $5,000. Anything you can donate is appreciated. I know firsthand what this organization does for children fighting this awful disease. Thank you for reading my story.