As many of you know, I was diagnosed with leukemia when I was just 9 years old and struggled to overcome it for nearly a decade. However, instead of being spiteful over the fact that cancer essentially took away my childhood I am so ever grateful for the positive things it has brought into my life. One of the most amazing paths my cancer experience has guided me towards is my graduate school program.

After being diagnosed at Loma Linda University Children's Hospital so long ago, I can happily say that I now have the privilege of getting my Master's of Science in Child Life Specialist here (almost 1 year in), surrounded by amazing individuals and opportunities to help me give back. For those who do not know what a Child Life Specialist is, well I'm pretty much going to be able to use my knowledge and experience to help kiddos who are diagnosed with cancer and their families during their hospitalization. My personal experiences with cancer and all of the wonderful resources provided in my grad program are helping me develop myself as a leader, a professional, and simply a better human being.

One of the mind-blowing experiences my program is offering in the near future is an opportunity for me to travel to China (with my cohort and directors) to work with the kiddos and staff at our sister hospital- expanding our experiences in child life internationally!  However, this experience does not come cheap and as a full time graduate student I helplessly cannot afford the trip on my own. 

SO! Please support me in my hopes of attending this amazing trip by making a donation and helping me achieve my fundraising goal of $1,200! And in retrospect, your donation is not only helping me book a ticket to China, but it's also helping me expand my own child life experience so that I may better serve children who are diagnosed with cancer in the near and distant future. 

Thank you <3

Donation link: christian-hetzlers-fundraiser-for-china-sbh-chil-1