Clarissa E Schilstra

Clarissa Schilstra is a two-time cancer survivor. She was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia for the first time when she was 2 1/2 old. She went through two and a half years of chemotherapy and survived. She led a happy and healthy life until June of 2007, when her cancer relapsed, just before she turned 13. So, she went through another two and a half years of chemotherapy, this time accompanied by radiation. She is now 23 years old and a graduate of Duke University. Her passion is helping others cope with the ups and downs of life during and after cancer treatment. It is her goal to pursue a PhD and become a psycho-oncology researcher, to find ways to help improve the psychosocial care available to adolescents and young adults who have serious illnesses. You can read more about Clarissa on her website and blog at www.teen-cancer.com.