How one student was determined despite her diagnosis

There are many challenges our students have to overcome on their path to top colleges that we expect and we can plan around. And then sometimes our students face challenges that are unpredictable and unfair.

Adia Bracy (12th grade, Mt. Pleasant High School)— will be attending American University in the fall. But before she received this great news, she had to display deep determination despite a serious diagnosis during her high school years.

Adia joined TeenSHARP’s inaugural class in Delaware in January of 2016. Adia’s refreshing excitement for learning and serving her community was evident from our first interaction. As she committed to TeenSHARP she stood alongside her peers and read the following words in our pledge:

“As TeenSHARP scholars, we will be STRIVERS, embracing and appreciating rigor and persisting through any challenges.”

As a student in the IB program at Mt. Pleasant High School in Wilmington who was committing to also spend a full day each Saturday over the next four years in TeenSHARP sessions, she was already putting the pledge into practice. But life is full of unknowns and Adia and her family could have never anticipated the diagnosis she was about to receive.

At the end of her freshman year, Adia was devastated to learn she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. It took a physical and emotional toll on her and her family.

The disease meant she would undergo months of blood transfers and stem cell transplants. She had to stay out of school for a year and her mother fought to get her the right type of homebound education to keep her on track academically. She also had to deal with the emotional turmoil of good reports that sometimes were followed by setbacks and a lot of uncertainty.

When her health permitted, Adia astounded all of us with her commitment to attending TeenSHARP Saturday sessions in spite of all she was experiencing. And she was not just attending sessions, she came with the signature joy that makes her so special. As quintessential strivers, Adia’s family kept their faith and their focus on her dreams through all of this.

Adia eventually was able to return to school for her junior year with doctors closely monitoring her progress. Returning to school meant playing catch up academically even though she often was lacking in energy. But she was not satisfied with academic achievement.

That’s why, she traveled to Washington, DC to join Delaware’s Congressional delegation to testify for the STAR act, a bill that supports survivorship and helps embark on new treatments to save the lives of children with cancer. She created her own line of cupcakes —DidiCakes—as a fundraiser for pediatric research. She became the president of Girls Empowered at her school and participated in the ACLU Summer advocacy institute in Washington, DC.

It’s no surprise that she will find herself back in Washington, DC in a few months where she’ll start her undergraduate career at American University. Many will never know what it took her to get there. But there’s no doubt everyone will be compelled by her power and persistence.