The summer going into middle school, most kids are consumed with the worries of a new start in a different environment. But after Aug. 11, 2006, Amanda Stallings had much bigger things to consume her thoughts: Cancer.

At age 11, Amanda could barely understand the complex concept of cancer.

“I didn’t really understand why everyone around me was so upset,” Amanda said. “I also felt angry because no one would tell me what was going on.”

What Amanda was also unaware of at the time was her very rare type of cancer. She was diagnosed

with Undifferentiated Soft-Cell Sarcoma in the top part of her left foot. Sarcoma is a type of cancer that develops from certain tissues, like bone or muscle.

Given her type of Sarcoma cancer, there was a need for radiation therapy every day for six weeks at St. Jude’s Children Hospital in Memphis, TN. With Tennessee being so far from her home in Missouri, the family was forced to make many tough decisions.

“It split the family with her treatments, and it was difficult,” mother Cathy Stallings said. “And with all our worries and concerns, it was hard on the family.”

While attending treatments, Amanda felt torn from her home and put into a new environment. However, even under the circumstances, she still strived to keep positive.

“I made new friends, so I was never bored,” Amanda said. “And I was better off than most other people were.”

While in treatment, Amanda met a young boy named Justin. He too was going through cancer treatment and understood her difficulties. Sadly, he passed away.

“We were a part of each other’s normalcy,” Amanda said. “It’s like we weren’t there being sick, and we never really talked about it.”

Yet Amanda kept her positive outlook, always looking to the future. And in December of 2006, she was cleared of her disease. Friends and family relished the happy news.

“I tried to be there for her as best as I could, it was hard because I couldn’t begin to try to understand

all she had been through,” sophomore Morgan O’Neill said. “I told her I was there for her whenever she needed me.”

Amanda is still sometimes reminded of this difficult time in her life when she returns every six months for a check-up. Even with haunting thoughts, that positive attitude always remains.

“I wanted to survive for my family, because I couldn’t imagine their life without me,” Amanda said.

Abby West