My Grandmother and Grandfather are both Cancer Survivors. Seeing someone so close to me go through something with such an unexpected outcome was scary. Here is a little bit about their journeys;

In August 2000, my Grandpa, Randy Hanks, was diagnosed with colon cancer. After many blood transfusions, the doctors ended up removing 3 feet of his colon. They reconstructed it through surgery and after an 18- month fight with chemo, he beat it.

In February 2018, my grandma, Marie Hanks, aka Awmee, was diagnosed with Merkle Cell Carcinoma. After multiple procedures to remove the cancer, she won her battle as well. Finishing her fight with cancer, she then went through chemo and the process of reconstructing her face. To this day she continues to go through facial reconstruction.

Both of my grandparents taught me that your mental game has to be stronger than ever when things in life get hard. The moment you give up on yourself is the moment you let the negative overpower you. I have used this lesson during my game and everyday life. My grandparents are my reason WHY. Seeing them go through something that beats you up mentally, physically, and emotionally gives me a purpose. So, as I take on this opportunity, I want to bring these children who do not get to spend their days at school or nights on the field a purpose. A spark of hope or maybe just a simple smile. I want them to see there are people out there rooting for them to win this battle. People who they do not even know are rooting for them. I want these children to wake up in the morning and think “I can do this.” Overall throughout this journey, I am about to begin, I cannot wait to put hope into the less fortunate families who have a child diagnosed with cancer.