What essay winners are saying about the importance of the Cancer Unwrapped contest:
“While writing this essay I was able to express a lot of the feelings and experiences I had throughout treatment and the years after. Cancer was a major part of my life and being able to talk about it in a good light was important to me. I think that this essay worked both to reveal to myself that an experience like cancer isn’t always a complete setback.”
“I’ve been writing this essay in my head long before I learned about the scholarship. Translating it to key strokes was harder than I ever imagined. I chose to relive and write about those first moments when I learned about Mom’s stage 4 diagnosis. It was life-shattering, but she was never shattered, even when she was in a wheelchair or Dad had to carry her. I think that few kids are right there in the moment when a parent learns they are sick. I wanted to share that experience. Looking back, I can’t believe she didn’t cry and break down. I know since that day both of my parents have wept fiercely thinking we were going to lose her. Depending on the day, I still have mixed reactions to the thought. Emotions are never a straight line. When you are one of the lucky ones to be moving forward, every day is different.”
“While writing my essay it was definitely hard. After going through such a hard journey it was difficult writing about it knowing how much stress and self damage it has caused me. On the other hand it was relieving, being able to have the opportunity to let other people know my story and how much I’ve done that makes me who I am today.”
“It was very hard to describe over seven years of my life through some plain black text. It scared me that people wouldn’t understand the story properly or that my journey wouldn’t come across in the way that I imagined. Though it was a bit terrifying it was actually quite therapeutic. I never had to write down my story for anyone before. I’ve never even had to tell it. Even if this doesn’t do my whole story justice it does me justice and I’m happy with it.”
“This contest is a way to pour our your heart and soul regarding one’s experience with cancer. Additionally, it’s. agreat way to hear stories from other winners who have had similar experiences. This contest makes sure that as teenagers, our voices are heard.”
“Writing this essay made me relive many moments I didn’t want to remember again. Although the experience was painful, it helped me face some feelings that I bottled up deep down, which helped me grow and heal. Towards the end of writing this essay, I felt a sense of pride from overcoming my dad’s death and my response to it. At the very end, I couldn’t help but cry a little because finishing and rereading the essay made me realize how much I missed my dad, but sometimes crying is a good thing because it shows acceptance and growth as long as you keep getting back up.”