I want to take some time to let everyone know how I came to learn about this
internship.
It all started with my older brother, David. As some of you may
know my older brother David was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma (cancer of the lymphatic system) during his
senior year at William and Mary. However, learning his diagnosis was never so
simple. David started developing itching all over his body before the beginning
of his senior year. He would scratch his body, but without
any apparent reason. Doctor appointments proved fruitless as a rash
that might explain the itching was never found. As the days, weeks, and months
continued a diagnosis still eluded us. Also, the itching was taking its toll on
David. He could not get to sleep until 3 or 4 in the morning as he spent
his restless nights endlessly scratching. He couldn't concentrate in
the classroom because he was either itching or severely sleep deprived. I was
away at Virginia Tech and felt helpless in the situation as did the rest of the
family. I know my parents spent many sleepless nights trying to figure out what
to do in what seemed an impossible situation. David was fading fast and all we
really wanted was a diagnosis, no matter what it might be. We wanted
answers.
A minor segue in
this story is our family's love for the TV show Survivor. Ever since the second
season we have religiously sat down every week to watch the show as a family
(yes, we still watch survivor even though the rest of America has moved on).
The mix of competition, exotic locations, the psychology of new-found
relationships, deceit, and honesty all somehow connected with our family. I
don't know if my dad's military background has anything to do with our
fascination with Survivor, but it was truly the only show in my childhood that
the entire family would watch together. One of our all time favorite contestants
was Ethan Zohn, winner of season 3, Survivor Africa. We loved the way that he
approached the game and the way he approached life, with a smile. We never knew
that he would have a direct impact on our life.
One morning my mom
took my younger brother to an appointment with his Occupational Therapist (for
those who know me well, this relationship has also influenced my life greatly)
and sat down to read a People magazine while waiting for Zack to finish. As she
was reading she flipped to an article about Ethan Zohn. The article was about
Ethan developing cancer after winning Survivor, the symptoms he had before his diagnosis and how he
was dealing with the disease. Miraculously enough, the symptoms that Ethan had
prior to cancer were an exact replica of my brother's: a mysterious non-rash
itching sensation. My mom couldn't have driven home faster to take my
brother to get a blood test and chest X-Ray for Hodgkins Lymphoma. After hours of
prayer, self prescribed diagnosis, and restless nights, an article in People
Magazine gave us the diagnosis we so cherished, although a diagnosis much
harder than we could have ever imagined. David had to take a year off from
school (and if any of you know David, it was extremely hard for him to not be perpetually be on the move). After hours of chemo and radiation, I am happy to say that
David is in complete remission and doing tremendously well as a 3L at Harvard
Law School.
After this long, convoluted story you must be thinking, well that is entirely awesome, but what
the heck does that have to do with your internship? It just so happens that
Ethan Zohn was one of the co-founders of Grassroot Soccer. He wanted to use the
money he made from Survivor to help people who are affected by HIV/AIDS and
somehow intertwine his passion for soccer (he played professionally in Zimbabwe before Survivor). When he came to Virginia Tech this past fall semester
to share his story with our campus, I could not have been more excited as I bought my ticket a month in advance. I was hoping for the opportunity to share
my brother's story with him and let him know how much he meant to my family.
The night he came
to speak at Blacksburg I was nervously excited to meet him, but thought he had
probably had hundreds of conversations with people that had been affected by
his story of cancer. Before I arrived for the ceremony I thought it would be a
gathering of about 30-50 people and a pretty short, informal ceremony. When I
showed up to the ceremony it turned out there were over 200 people and dinner was to be served, much fancier than I had imagined! Most people were dressed formally for the occasion which, however I rolled up in my normal school attire: a VT hoodie and jeans, which made me stick out like a Hokie in Charlottesville. I was already a little anxious for my conversation with Ethan and all
these other surprises definitely set my nerves at a faster pace. As tables were
called up to serve themselves dinner, I was able to make my approach to
Ethan. I came up him and said, "Hey I've got a crazy story for you if
you've got the time to listen." He said, "Fire away, I'm all ears!"
As I told David's
story, you could see Ethan's eyes light up, it turned out that he had been told
plenty of times how much of a hero he was to people for winning Survivor. However,
he had never heard a story of how his cancer had impacted another
individual--which he said was the true test of survival. In fact he had
deliberated for a long time whether he wanted to go public with the disease or
fight it personally with his family. He said that David's story was confirmation
to him that he had done the right thing. He was able to write a personal note
to David and during the ceremony he had me stand up and tell David's story to
everyone in attendance. If my nerves were already running a 100mph that really
put me into overdrive. I think I breezed through the entire story in less than
30 seconds, I was so nervous! However, I will never forget that night and the
phone conversation I had afterwards with my mom and brother.
Later in the
ceremony, Ethan spoke about Grassroot Soccer, what it was about, and how you
could get involved. He said if you really want to make a difference you can
intern with us in Africa for a year. It would be an understatement to say I was
intrigued. I ended up emailing him the next day which started the road to my
application with Grassroot Soccer.
This line of crazy
circumstances has proven to me that this is where the Lord is leading me this
next year. I continue to pray that the Lord use me the way he intends and that
my own selfish desires never interfere with his plan. Although, I am excited
beyond belief for the next year, I am still scared to death as to how to the Lord
will use and mold me. As I prepare for the trip of a lifetime, I ask that
you continue to keep me, my brother, and Ethan in your prayers.
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| Ethan's poster around campus |
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