Wednesday, March 19, 2003
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Wednesday, March 19, 2003 |
Teen cancer survivor honored for volunteerismFor about half of her young life, high school senior Savannah Solomon has been fighting an enemy inside her own body. But through the struggles and pain that her physical battle has brought, she has learned to open her eyes to the needs of others and in the process has brought joy to the lives of many young people just like her. Now this two-time survivor of rhabdomyosarcoma, a form of childhood cancer that effects muscle tissue, is being honored by Prudential Financial and the National Association of Secondary School Principals as a 2003 Prudential Spirit of Excellence recipient for volunteer service. She was nominated for the award by Sandy Creek High, where she is a student and has been named the school's valedictorian. Savannah earned her award by developing a project known as "Red Carpet Day," a three-day event including a concert and a day at Six Flags over Georgia for teenagers with cancer. "I have never met a high school student with such powerful sense of self and compassion for others as Savannah. She has more initiative, personal magnetism and drive than many people twice her age," said Jeannie F. Addams, president of Cure for Childhood Cancer, in a letter of recommendation she wrote for the award nomination. Savannah was first diagnosed with cancer when she was in the sixth grade and had to undergo 10 months of chemotherapy treatment. Near the end of seventh grade, she had completed her treatment but had lost contact with many of her friends and was dealing feelings of isolation. Just as she was getting her life back on track, she became sick halfway through the tenth grade and learned that the cancer had returned. Although the pain and struggle of the disease was back, Savannah chose to tackle the second go around differently. She made it a point to be a high school student first and a cancer patient second. "I was involved in a number of clubs and had many friends. I reached out to them and kept in constant contact. The first time I retreated into myself and I knew that this time it was up to me to keep my life as normal as possible. Kids our age don't understand, and can't be expected to understand, what is going on with you physically when battling a disease like this so I took it upon myself to stay involved," she said. Not only did she reach out to her friends, but Savannah also found other ways to look outward from her disease. She immediately began working on her Girl Scout Gold Award Project, which turned out to be Red Carpet Day. The first event was held May 30-June 1, 2002. She secured 200 park admission tickets to Six Flags and sent invitations to social workers at 13 hospitals throughout the southeastern United States. Each hospital was invited to send two adults (at least one had to be on the medical staff) plus 12 teenagers for an all-expense-paid trip to Atlanta. Savannah specified that first choice should be given to teenagers who had relapsed or to those who were homebound because they are the ones who are most likely to feel isolated and need a morale boost. Savannah did all the planning and securing of donations while going through chemotherapy and radiation treatments. "When I got sick the second time I had just finished my prerequisites for the Girl Scout project. I worked on Red Carpet Day while I was in the hospital and it was one of the things in my life that kept me going. I kept thinking that in six months I am going to have a big party," she said. Savannah says Red Carpet Day is different from other events for cancer patients because teenagers must be currently battling the disease or have been off of treatment for no longer than one year. When she was diagnosed with cancer the first time, she went to Camp Sunshine, which is open to kids who have had cancer at any point in their lifetimes. She says many of the people she met had had cancer at the age of two and did not remember the pain. "It was hard for me to relate to them because they didn't remember what it was like and couldn't relate to how I was feeling and what I was going through at the time. Red Carpet Day gives kids currently battling cancer a chance to meet each other and share what they are feeling," she said. For the second year in a row, Savannah has organized another Red Carpet Day for June 3-6, 2003. She says this year's event will be even better than the first one. Participants will stay at Lake Lanier on Emerald Point and will enjoy activities such as a concert, movie night, day at the spa and scavenger hunt. On June 4, Northside Limo Service will donate limousines and drivers to take the approximately 70 teenagers to Six Flags where the park will roll out the red carpet to welcome everyone. Savannah says she has many sponsors to thank for making Red Carpet Day a reality. Among them are Ronald McDonald House, Cure for Childhood Cancer, Six Flags Over Georgia, Lake Lanier Islands Resort and her family and friends.
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