My name is Carolyn and I’m nine years old. I’ve had brain cancer since I was less than two years old. I had a little break from treatment when my cancer went in remission but then I had to come back.

I live with my mom and four brothers. My brother Caleb is my twin. I also have a cat, a bunny, and a frog. I’m in third grade and take language arts, math, reading, and spelling. My favorite subject is reading. “The Cat in the Hat” is my favorite book. I also like to sing and dance. I have tap shoes and I like to sing Alicia Keys, Beyonce, and Shakira songs.

I come to the clinic at Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital to get chemotherapy. I don’t like getting needles stuck in me and the chemotherapy makes me stomach hurt and I get dizzy and sleepy. I get a sticker for my sticker chart for when I behave getting my chemo. I’m going to have a party when the sticker chart is full.

While I’m getting chemo I like to do arts and crafts and go on the computer. On the computer I can go to the Disney Channel’s website and go on Hannah Montana. I also like to play computer games from The Tommy Fund. I also like seeing my clinic family. Erica is my sister and Michelle from The Tommy Fund is my aunt. The doctors and nurse are my aunts and uncles as well.

Last year I went to Tommy Fund Holiday Party and saw Santa Claus. My clinic family and my real family were there. I still have a picture from last year with me and Santa and all of my family on his lap. I was sitting on Santa’s lap and also my twin brother was sitting on his lap. I’m going to go to this year’s holiday party, it’s on my calendar!

I like talking to other people about kids with cancer. Last year I got to talk and sing on the radio at WPLR to tell people about cancer for the Tommy Fund’s Radiothon. I like doing that because some people don’t know about cancer and some people want to go face-to-face with a cancer kid and ask them what they’re going through because they’ve never had it. I want everyone to know that cancer kids can still sing!