The Rachel Story

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Rachel. As a baby and a child, she was independent and didn't cry in bed or the bath, instead she entertained herself for hours with toys and stuffed animals. Rachel's mom always saw and heard the little voices of the toys talking to one another, even when it was gibberish. When Rachel was 2, she lost her father to cancer...she was terrified of it...

Growing up, she continued to be simple....she loved time with her friends, especially with her "boyfriend" Mikey at the ripe age of 5. She roller skated around the house in her underwear, she acted like a runway model and was always having some type of fun either alone or with her family and close friends.

One time Rachel's parents were called to her daycare because she had $500 on her. Her parents wondered how that had happened, but realized later that Rachel had discovered the money in a book
on a shelf at their home and she took it all with her. She was curious.

As she continued to grow she did more and more creative things like making a bunny with a basket of eggs from clay at age 5. She would create pulleys in her closet and attach them to baskets and carry her kittens around the room and in the closet. She was often found picking flowers and leaves as she got older, creating wreaths to sell, bouquets and more....She was a bit of an entrepreneur then. As she got older, she stuck with her friends, was quiet around others and was always creating games with some of the neighborhood kids. Kid Olympics was one of her favorites - having kids throwing peanut butter slathered tortillas and water balloons across the grass. She often enjoyed her time with kids younger than her, rather than kids her age. When Rachel was 10 she got 2nd degree burns from being at the beach, the doctor told her she would get skin cancer if she was burned like that again and die...She grew even more fearful of cancer at that moment and started to avoid the sun at all costs.

By the time she was a teen and gearing up for high school, she had moved across the country several times, changed so many schools and was now somewhere she liked. Throughout high school Rachel was shy, hated being called out in class, didn't like speaking in front of the class, disliked math and was often teased by other kids. Rachel only broke loose around the friends she was close with. She didn't stand up for anything, let alone herself. The one time she did was in Middle School for a partially blind teacher she adored and a group of "nerdy" kids that were often picked on. They created a play about people being different, their goal was to show it to the entire school.... the school approved it, but it was never done because some bullies locked Rachel, her friends and the teacher in a classroom and put a flaming trash can in front of the door. They escaped out the window, everyone was safe, but the school never let them do the play because of it. Rachel was an introvert, she was uncomfortable around others, but she always loved and looked forward to adventures with close friends. Rachel often struggled to know who she really was and who she needed to be. Sometimes she followed others because she feared being rejected, she hung out with the wrong crowds that got her into trouble. This is probably common for most us when we grew up.

Through everything....Rachel was always just Rachel. As she grew up she continued to do what she enjoyed, her crafts, spending time with friends and working different jobs......For her it was enough. :)

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It was the Horrible "C" that changed Rachel's life forever, because she changed as a person.
The moment those words came out of the doctor's mouth, "Leukemia is Cancer..." Rachel cried... long enough, she cried when her hair came out in clumps, but that was it. From then on..... she was stronger, she was going to fight for herself, for her life.

Rachel has become a full person, more than she ever could have imagined for herself. The people who love Rachel for who she is now and what she has created are the best friends in her eyes. Once upon a time, Rachel feared cancer and avoided anything that would cause it - she never drank or smoked, she never did drugs, she just lived. Now Rachel surrounds herself with people who are affected by it in some way. Rachel lives each day to the fullest and is so different from who she once was. Rachel surrounds herself with loving and supportive people more and more each day.

Rachel speaks about cancer to students, colleges, businesses, at events, for other organizations, on the radio, TV, Youtube and to random people she meets. Would would have imagined, Rachel would talk about cancer so much and surround herself with so many people who have and have had it? Rachel ran with it, the cancer that almost killed her added the spark to her life she needed. It made her see how important life really was and what the meaning of life was..... to impact the lives of as many people that she could. To reach out, the help, to inspire, to spread hope and to love.

This is the new and improved Rachel, the one that many of you now know. The one who spends most of her days and nights working towards improving the quality of life and the lives of those with cancer. She talks about cancer probably more than most, but it's the drive behind her for what she does and why she does it. For Rachel, this is her. Love her or Leave Her, Accept her or not.

For the person who said Rachel wasn't the real Rachel, Perhaps you never really got to know Rachel from her heart..her passion....what drives her. UCAAN is a HUGE part of Rachel, she created it from a dream and it's been amazing! <3 nbsp="" p="">
~ I wouldn't give up any of it for a second! - Rachel