Molly Oldham: 19 year old brain cancer survivor

Hello!  My name is Molly Oldham and I am a 19 year old brain cancer survivor from Akron, Ohio. In August of 2019, I was diagnosed with a tennis ball sized tumor which was later found to be Anaplastic Ependymoma, a rare form of stage III brain cancer found in 300 people a year.  I was diagnosed on the day I was to be moving into college.  I had 33 rounds of Proton Radiation and several months of daily intensive PT/PT/Speech Therapy.

Music has been instrumental to my recovery. I came out of surgery singing, and five months to the day of surgery, I moved eight hours away from home to start college. I am proudly a part of a six person Musical Theater cohort at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in the School of Theater.

While I was recovering, I had the opportunity to raise awareness of the shortfalls of funding in Pediatric Cancer by singing at events such as the NHL Columbus Blue Jackets (Hockey Fights Cancer Night), Project Outrun (which funds personalized Nike Shoes for Cancer Warriors), Angel Works (pays for Pediatric Cancer Funerals and more), Thriving on Single Ray of Sunshine (funds grants for cancer patients), Hayes Tough, (pediatric cancer advocates) and many others.  I also learned more about Stewart’s Caring Place, Collin Cares, NEGU, The Kimberly Walton Foundation, Michael Matters, and the Nikolas Ritschel Foundation among other organizations that support cancer patients and their families.

On June 1st 2020, I had my first set of clear scans.  I pledge to dedicate my life to helping those who have been touched by cancer and I hope to help them find their voice.

Now, I am so incredibly humbled to be part of Beautiful Strength_org.  By telling my story and taking incredibly empowering photos with Annette, I can forget about the “what IFs” and focus on the “what IS”.   Thank you for being part of my story!