To volunteer or support a young cancer survivor scholarship program, call 1-800-ACS-2345.

How does Carrie Eller of Newland, North Carolina move ahead in life after being forced to drop out of college to fight Hodgkin disease? What's next for Silvano Gonzalez, a California honor student who earned a high school diploma while undergoing 2 years of cancer treatments? With help from the American Cancer Society's scholarship programs, they're both in college following their dreams.

Hundreds of other survivors of childhood cancer can receive scholarships and grant money, too, by applying soon for one of the college aid programs listed on this page.

Medical treatments now cure 8 out of 10 children with cancer, but medical bills and lost wages can make it impossible for families to come up with the money needed to put a child through college.

Students Who Give Back and Aim High

Carrie Eller had planned to get an advanced degree in psychology and was half-way through her undergraduate days at Appalachian State University in North Carolina when her health began to falter. An overwhelming tiredness set in during the fall semester of her junior year. She couldn't seem to keep up with class assignments, and on one particular morning, she woke up with an unusually sore neck.

Within a few days she was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. College was put on hold indefinitely, traded for chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

When Eller returned to Appalachian State, her cancer treatment a success, she had financial support from the Society's South Atlantic division and a new goal. "I had wanted to be a school psychologist, but after cancer that changed. I was one of those people who are drawn to the field of cancer medicine," she said. Eller is now studying to become a registered nurse.

In her spare time Eller helped found the Colleges vs. Cancer organization at ASU, which raised $20,000 in its first year. "Overall, cancer was a positive experience because it directed my purpose in life," she explained.

Many scholarship recipients like Eller have a strong drive to make a difference. Marilyn Westley, who has run the Florida division's program for 14 years, finds, "So many of the students want to give back."

Nearly 50% of Florida's ACS scholars continue on to graduate school, and many aim for careers in health care, education, or other types of public service. "We don't pay for graduate school," explained Westley. "They do it on their own…. They are so determined to get past cancer and to be successful."

College Aid Programs for Survivors of Childhood Cancer

Scholarships are usually offered through state or regional chapters of the American Cancer Society for students attending two- or four-year colleges in the area. Call 1-800-ACS-2345 for information and to find the closest ACS office. Some scholarship information is available online, too, or directly from regional coordinators as follows:

California Division
Scholarship Requirements and Application Forms
Call Tony Daquipa; 1-800-877-1710, extension 221
Application Deadline: April 28, 2006

Florida Division
The American Cancer Society R.O.C.K. College Scholarship
Application deadline for fall/spring: April 10, 2006

Great Lakes Division
(Michigan and Indiana)
Scholarship Requirements and Application Forms
Application Deadlines: April 18, 2006 for first time scholarships; June 2, 2006 for renewals

High Plains Division
(Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma only)
Scholarship Requirements and Applications
Application Deadline: April 3, 2006 (postmarked)

Midwest Division
(Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wisconsin)
Scholarship Requirements and Application Forms
Application Deadline: March 15, 2006

Mid-South Division
(Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee or Clark or Floyd County, Indiana)
Scholarship Requirements and Application Forms
Application Deadline: February 1, 2006

Ohio Division
Scholarship Requirements and Application Forms
Application Deadline: February 1, 2006

South Atlantic Division
(Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, District of Columbia)
Scholarship Requirements and Application Instructions
Application Deadline: April 15, 2006 (postmarked)

Other Scholarship Programs for Families Affected by Cancer

The Ulman Cancer Fund
Matt Stauffer Memorial Scholarship
http://www.ulmanfund.org/Services/Scholarship/tabid/73/Default.aspx
Phone: 1-888-393-FUND
Application Deadline: April 1, 2006

Stephen T. Marchello Scholarship Foundation
Scholarships for students in Arizona, California, Colorado and Montana
http://www.stmfoundation.org/
Listings of many other scholarships for young cancer survivors

SuperSibs: College Scholarships for Brothers and Sisters of Children With Cancer
1566 W Algonquin Rd Ste 224
Hoffman Estates, IL
866-444-7427
Application Deadline: April 1, 2006

Not Your Run of the Mill College Students

Generous donations have brought the number of scholarships awarded from the California division up to 60… and one recipient, Silvano Gonzalez, described how it felt to recover his dreams for a college education. At an ACS scholarship program luncheon, he said, "[This] is a program that has acknowledged and redeemed my past, and has given me support for future success in the world.

"Being diagnosed with cancer while in high school has served as both an advantage and disadvantage to me. I have gained the positive insight that comes with the disease but have lost valuable years that I will never regain.

"There was a time in my life when I was convinced I wouldn’t live to celebrate my fifteenth birthday, A dark period of time where I saw driver’s licenses, voting on Tuesday, and college experiences only in my dreams. I look at the world around me today and realize that I am very fortunate, blessed with the opportunity to fulfill the dreams I once felt were unattainable."