Rachel is a loving, kind, and motivated 22-year-old with a passion for trying new things and pushing her limits. She is determined to help those around her and looks at her diagnosis as a gateway to a new perspective on life.
Her story: “Growing up, I was always very active and loved trying new things. In high school, I started training in classical voice performance, a physically demanding area of study since your body becomes your instrument. By the time I reached my sophomore year of college I was used to rigorous class, rehearsal, performance, and physical training schedules. Despite mybest efforts, I started to experience chronic fatigue among other common thyroid disease symptoms. After consulting an endocrinologist, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease and papillary thyroid cancer. I underwent a total thyroidectomy and central neck dissection followed by a radioactive iodine treatment.
Despite the heath setbacks, I continued my studies throughout surgery and treatment and graduated college having focused on music and international business courses. Throughout my recovery process, I have been working on rebuilding my physical and mental stamina through hobbies such as rock climbing, yoga, biking, photography, hiking, archery, running, swimming, etc. I’ve been able to try a lot of different activities and continue to stay active in many of them. Overall, my cancer journey has taught me a lot about life, mainly that you can’t rush the healing process. I love helping people, and this experience has given me new opportunities to help people in ways I wouldn’t have been able to before my diagnosis.
Her Goal: “Rebuild my psychical stamina. Become scuba certified; rock climb in Kalymnos, Greece”
Personal Motto: “Just keep swimming.”
