When Emily was 16, she was an active kid, filling her days with activities after school and time with friends. But then she became lethargic. Her head felt like it would explode. Eventually, she was diagnosed with leukemia.

When she arrived at St. Jude, Emily was critically ill. Doctors recommended a cutting-edge treatment. “Ninety-nine percent of my blood was leukemia when I got here,” she says. “And then 29 days in, I'm considered in remission.”

Full recovery has been a much longer road. She has experienced depression and struggled with survivor’s guilt. In recent years, she’s focused on reclaiming the person she used to be.

She finds joy in singing and doing things outdoors, like hiking, swimming and kayaking. 

“St. Jude has made it possible that I get to live a life that not only 16-year-old Emily would have been proud of as a cancer patient,” she says. “But also 15-year-old Emily before cancer was ever even a part of my story.”

Donate to St. Jude: www.stjude.org/donate

Credits Host: Joel Alsup
Recorded by: Andres Garcia and Nathan Black
Music production: Kazimir Boyle
Producer: Geoffrey Redick
Editor: Grace Korzekwa Evans
Executive Producer: Louis Graham

This podcast is a production of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.