Discus Awards

To read more about Melinda's experience buy her book, "Grace: A Child's Intimate Journey Through Cancer and Recovery". Proceeds of the book are donated to childhood cancer research and childhood cancer organizations.

My life-changing journey began in the fall of 2007, when I became mysteriously ill. After months of exhaustive searching, repeated misdiagnoses, and desperate testing, I at last was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma on December 18th, 2007. Strangely enough, it came as a relief…we then knew the enemy, and how to proceed in declaring war. However, the overwhelming weight was only temporarily lifted. I began my first of four rounds of intense chemotherapy shortly thereafter, followed by three weeks of daily radiation. Throughout the six months that my treatment spanned, the love of my family, the comfort of my God, and the healing of my passion, dance, kept me anchored in the real world while afloat in that of cancer. Finishing treatment on May 8th 2008, I soon faced a plethora of life-threatening side effects. Facing and overcoming an eating disorder, I went on to discover the value of helping others through my story.

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Filed under: Melinda Marchiano • All-Around High School Students • Meet the Discus Winner