Kate V

My name’s Kate. At 12 years old, I was diagnosed with a bone tumor on my tibia. Within three months, my leg had to be amputated above the knee. Despite cancer, I continued to play on my High School golf team, graduated as salutatorian and went on to study Sociology at UCLA.

I met Teen Cancer America through being a board member on UCLA’s Teen & Young Adult (TYA) Advisory Board. The work TCA did strike a chord with me due to my own experience with cancer. I understood firsthand the importance of TCA’s mission to improve Teen and Young Adult survival rates through physical treatment spaces and specialized medical care curated for this age group. TYA’s are an undeserved age group diagnosed with cancer, resulting in the lowest survival rate among other age groups. TCA plays a big role in changing this outcome. During and after treatment, beauty products helped me feel and look like myself again! After graduating I gravitated towards her creative side and began working for a global beauty brand.  Now I’m a product developer, bringing beauty concepts to life! The ability to create products that help individuals prioritize self-care and feel good inspires my work.