St. Jude Speaker Night Features Caldwell Students' Stories of Survival and Hope
By: Abbe Benowitz
Students and staff gathered in the Academic Building lecture hall on January 28 for a very special Speaker Night presented by the St. Jude "Up 'til Dawn" student organization. The event focused on two Caldwell College students and their stories of cancer survival and hope.
The evening began with an introduction to the St. Jude program on campus and a video tour of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis. Barbara Vergel, Executive Director of the student-run "Up 'til Dawn", then welcomed Daniel Hohman to the podium to share his story. Daniel Hohman is a second semester freshman here at Caldwell College and resides in Mother Joseph Residence Hall. He shared his personal journey of being diagnosed with brain cancer at age 5, undergoing chemotherapy, losing his vision in his left eye and the life saving surgeries to relieve hydrocephalus and portions of the tumor. Dan shared some funny stories and spoke with passion about his connection to the Ronald McDonald Camp that has become so special to him. He encouraged students to get involved with the St. Jude initiative on campus to help others through cancer.
After Dan, Timothy Hall was introduced. Tim is also a second semester freshman and he resides in Rosary Hall. Tim's journey with cancer began when he was 15 and diagnosed with a rare form of Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Tim went on to explain that while he went into remission quickly after his initial chemotherapy treatments, he did ultimately relapse and began additional chemotherapy treatments that were more toxic. While Tim was undergoing chemotherapy in preparation for a stem cell transplant, he suffered from a traumatic brain injury that left him unable to speak or walk. Tim was a senior in high school. After a year of physical, occupational, speech and pool therapies, Tim is now walking and speaking very well. He went on to say that he was happy to share his story in hopes that people will come to recognize the importance of cancer research, new treatments and hope!
Dan and Tim were open and gracious as the students asked them many questions about their treatments, their daily lives, their families and their ability to cope. One student asked, "Who do you admire most?" Tim answered, "anyone who has survived cancer," while Dan replied, "my oncologist." Perhaps the most moving sentiment came from Nicholas Harriott, a Caldwell College senior, who responded to their answers by saying, "you two inspire me."
The evening ended with Patricia Messick, the Co-Executive Director of "Up 'til Dawn," providing a "call to action." She informed the audience of the upcoming events for "Up 'til Dawn" and how they can get involved. It was truly an evening of inspiration and hope.
If you would like more information about how to get involved with St. Jude "Up 'til Dawn," please e-mail Caldwelluptildawn@gmail.com