Hello, my name is Kendra Easley. I am 22 years old and fighting Hodgkin's Lymphoma. My story actually started long before I knew about my cancer. I was 19 years old and in a "party everyday" lifestyle mode. Then, I got pregnant in May of 2009 and my whole life changed as soon as I knew. I began to take care of myself, eat healthier, and really took my pregnancy seriously. At the age of 20, on January 19th, 2009, I gave birth to a 6 lb. 8.5oz baby boy. Peyton. I never knew how much you could love someone. He was truly a blessing in disguise. He was the reason I had turned my life around. But shortly after he was born, the doctors notified me that he had a heart murmur and needed to be checked out. Something was wrong.

Peyton had to be transferred to the children's hospital in Atlanta and had surgery on his heart when he was only 2 days old to fix his Pulmonary valve. I tell you, there is nothing worse than seeing your child in an incubator, attached to a bunch of cords, being loaded into an ambulance. You always ask yourself, "What could I have done differently?"

Although this seemed like the end of the world for me, Peyton recovered very quickly and we got to go home when he was 1 week old. A couple of weeks later was when the madness really started. A lot of the symptoms I started to experience, I thought were maybe from my hormones adjusting from childbirth and being pregnant. It wasn't until a very large lump in my neck popped up that I decided to go to the doctor. One week later, I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Peyton was only 5 weeks old. The doctors said that the hormones from me giving birth made the lump grow faster, making it known to me. I really didn't know how serious it was at first. The word cancer just hadn't hit me. I do regret the way I told my parents, saying it casually as if it were no big deal. "They say I have Hodgkin's Lymphoma." I just didn't know what I was in store for. I remember the first time I cried. I was on the phone with my brother, Erik. I could tell he was upset too. I never cried again about it until they told me I would lose all my hair, which was at the time below shoulder length. As a female, for me, my hair was part of my identity. I had a head shaving party for the first time that I lost my hair. Thankfully, it didn't all come out, so it looked like I just had a buzz cut most of the time. Then after about 8 1/2 months of chemo treatments, every two weeks, it started growing back. I thought, "Yay! I am getting better!"

Peyton's first Halloween came and I missed it. I was in the hospital with Pneumonia. Three weeks later, I found out that I had stopped responding to the chemo. I had relapsed. In January 2010, the day before my son's first birthday, I got out of the hospital after receiving my first three-day dose of the new chemo regimen, but I still managed to throw him a heck of a baby's first birthday party with the help of my family. Also, I started back in school online! The plan was to do chemo in the hospital for three days, for three months and then go straight into getting a stem cell transplant. Because of my insurance company, the process was delayed. They were refusing to pay for my transplant and I couldn't get anything started until the process was approved. After being very persistent, and probably a little rude to the insurance company, it was all taken care of. I was ready to start the process. Then, I got pneumonia again! Because of this I ended up being off of chemo for too long and relapsed again. I was devastated. All you can think is, "Why is this happening to me? I am so tired. Just take me away or leave me alone!" But finally, after a little extra chemo, injection after injection, a stem cell harvest, and really really really high dose chemo, I was able to receive my transplant on June 18th, 2010.

I have had a few bumpy times since the transplant. The hardest part was being away from Peyton, but I am so thankful for his dad being there for me and him being so flexible with keeping Peyton most of the time. I am thankful for my family being so supportive and rearranging their lives to fit around my doctor schedule. I am thankful for the opportunity to live and share with everyone my hopes and dreams for me and my son.

I have recovered very well from the transplant. I had some inflammation in my lungs that I was hospitalized for in August, but I am feeling much better now. Most of my problems come from damage to my lungs from all the chemo drugs I have gotten. Unfortunately, my 100-day-post-transplant PET scan revealed more cancer growing; therefore, I will be getting a 2nd transplant around Christmas. Since this news I have receive two rounds of high dose chemo and radiation is a possibility depending on the results of my next CT scan.  I know this is not the news that I was hoping for or expecting, but I just have to remember this is only temporary, I am a fighter.

While there are so many good things that I have learned about myself and others through this experience, the financial burden has been tough. My family has been hit hard as only two months after my diagnosis, my mom, Celia, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Thankfully it was caught very early and they were able to get it all out! She is doing great now!

But the bills are piling up! The driving back and forth, hospital meals, and the hospital bills have definitely taken its toll. None the less, I put it all in God's hands. I know he will take care of me. If I haven't learned that by now there is something wrong. I couldn't have done any of this without the support of my family and friends. God has truly blessed me with some amazing people in my life. I know am on my way to being healthy again. I claim survivorship!

If I was to receive this award from the Nicki Leach Foundation, I would use it toward finishing school to get my Nursing degree. After getting my Nursing degree, I would also like to get a degree in Psychology. My ultimate goal is to work with cancer patients and help them cope with their disease. I feel like I have so much to offer in this field because I have been there. I will know exactly how they feel and how it feels to be a patient. Please consider me for this scholarship. You will not only be helping me make my life better, but also my son's, and all of the patients I will help in the future.