Need some motivation today? Check this girl out. Olivia is kicking cancer’s butt and living her life the fullest every day.
This is Olivia. She’s my little sister. Not actually, but I feel like she could be. She was my cross country and track teammate for two years in high school. But she was (and still is) so much more. She’s one of my closest friends, and I’ve been through so much with her. We talked about everything while training together, and helped each other on and off the field. I could talk to her all day long and not get bored. She’s that entertaining. And she could listen to me blab. She’s that sweet.
Olivia is a sophomore in high school. She is an elite athlete and top student. As a freshman, she competed in the Florida State Championships for cross country (fall), soccer (winter), and track (spring). This year, she went to states in cross country, and regionals with her soccer team. She’s also a great student. She is currently at a prestigious prep school, taking honors and AP courses and making straight A’s. The day before her last soccer game, she was diagnosed with lymphoma, cancer of the lymph nodes. She played in that game, and did a great job, but the team ending up losing 1-0.
Since then, Olivia has started her battle against cancer. She gets chemotherapy once a week. When she isn’t getting chemo, you can find her at track practice, at school, or spending time with friends. That’s right, this girl goes to school every day that she is not getting chemo. She even gets chemo later in the week, so that she can recover over the weekend, and then continue her excellence in school. She is also running track, and still dominating despite chemo making her more short of breath and sore. She just ran her first track meet, in which she led her team to first in the 4×8 and placed second in the open’s women 800. Olivia still hangs out with her friends, and lives each day to the fullest. She’s not letting cancer hold her back by any means.
Not only are Olivia’s actions impressive, but her attitude is simply amazing. She is a fighter and she knows she will beat this. She displays both strength and grace. She focuses on the positive and makes the best of every situation. She jokes and laughs a lot and even makes jokes about the benefits of cancer, like free food and more followers on social media. She even told me that a benefit of getting chemo is getting to leave school early. She inspires me everyday to be positive and work my hardest while still enjoying life. I hope she can inspire you too. Follow her on Tumblr for some more motivation.