This summer I received the opportunity that would forever change my life for the better. I had just changed my career path to children's therapy with the goal of wanting to work with children in hospitals, specifically, with cancer. My mom, knowing that I have a sensitive heart, suggested that I look into camps for the summer so that I can make sure that I am capable of the job that I was set on.

So, the search started. I found a website with so many options of camps for kids that were either going through cancer or had gone through it. I decided to apply for one that was only about 4 hours from my hometown. I quickly found out that I was going to be able to help with this awesome camp.

I quickly became anxious to be a counselor at this camp. I got everything bought and packed and set off. Once I was there, I got to meet the other counselors, some were campers at the camp when they were younger and it was so great to see them sharing the memories that they had received while going to the camp.

The next day, the children arrived. They were all so excited to be at the camp and to get to do all the fun things that we had planned. We helped them move all their stuff to their cabins and then we started the activities. We swam, had a paint war, rode horses, drove in jeeps, went fishing and more.

These kids were such an inspiration to me this whole week and even are today. They just had so much joy and hope even while going through something that even adults have a difficult time dealing with. They were so spirited and even when they were tired, you knew that they were so happy to be at the camp. Some of the things that we scheduled for them, they probably wouldn't have been able to do at another time.

Every day 43 children are diagnosed with cancer with the average age of the child being 6. 12% of the children diagnosed will not survive. and 60% of the ones that do have effects later on such as heart failure, infertility, or even secondary cancers. With so much at risk, only 4% of federal funding for cancers goes towards childhood cancer research.

I hope that you decide to 'Go Gold' this September and support the 400,000 of children that undergo cancer treatment each year. If you get the opportunity, I hope you go and help these children firsthand as they fight in one of the biggest battles of anyone's life.