For Immediate Release
Contact: Daniel Wackershauser, Marketing and PR Specialist
Phone: 608.822.2303
Mail: 1800 Bronson Blvd., Fennimore, WI 53809
Date of Release: September 6, 2024
Kosharek a survivor of rare childhood cancer (with video)
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
Fennimore -September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Kennedy Kosharek, a Cosmetology student at Southwest Wisconsin Technical College, knows all too well the battles associated with childhood cancer. When she was eight years and in second grade, she was diagnosed with stage three, Alveolar Rabdomyosarcoma cancer. She turned nine after her diagnosis.
Kosharek had been dealing with painful headaches, which ultimately led her to the UW Children’s Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin. “From what the doctors have told my family, it (the tumor) was two centimeters away from my brain, so had it been one more week, I probably would not have been able to fight it off as well as I did,” she said. “I did not have a very large chance of survival.” Kosharek turned out to be one of three survivors at the time.
After the initial diagnosis, Kosharek was in the hospital for 2-3 months as her care team worked to assess her condition and determine a course of treatment. “My care team was meeting every so often to try and determine what to do with a child so young, with such rare cancer,” she said.
The team decided on radiation and chemotherapy. Because the tumor was so close to Kosharek’s brain, surgery was not an option. The multiple chemotherapy sessions lasted 5-8 hours each and during radiation she was required to wear a mesh mask that was bolted to the table to limit movement. “I felt really alone when I was fighting,” she said. “I had my mother there and my stepdad there, who was an EMT, but I didn’t have any friends. I didn’t have anyone to talk to. It was just kind of me and my mom and my stepdad. His medical experience when it came to cleaning wounds and being in the hospital helped me mentally.”
Part of her treatment also included wearing an IV in a backpack during school, when she was there. Kosharek missed most of her second-grade year.
Kosharek is officially 15 years in remission. Even though the cancer is gone, the side effects continue. She is blind in her right eye because of the location of the cancer. She also suffers from PTSD when she visits certain areas of a hospital. In addition, ambulances, hospitals, and visits to doctors, trigger anxiety attacks. She continues with a full list of medication, which has proven beneficial.
Kosharek advocates for more awareness and funding for childhood cancer research and support. When she was younger, she spoke about the disease at area high schools, including her own. She shared her story as well as the aftermath for survivors. “I think it’s really important that childhood cancer awareness is a thing, because there are so many children out there that have the same, or even different, situation than I do, and are still there, fighting.”
Kosharek graduated from River Valley High School in Spring Green, Wisconsin in 2019. She went on to earn her CNA at Southwest Tech and will graduate with her Cosmetology diploma this December. She plans to continue her education after graduation by taking business classes. Her plan is to eventually open her own salon. She currently resides in Muscoda, Wisconsin.
According to the National Cancer Institute, while childhood cancer is rare, it is the leading cause of disease-related death past infancy in children and adolescents. Every September, advocacy organizations, healthcare institutions, patients, and families raise awareness for childhood cancer. The idea of National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month was first introduced in 1990 in a presidential proclamation by then-President George H.W. Bush. On Sept. 26, 2019, September was officially recognized as National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
| Southwest Wisconsin Technical College, is one of 16 institutions that comprise the Wisconsin Technical College System. The college was recently named a top 10 finalist for the Aspen Prize. Southwest Tech offers more than 60 programs in a wide variety of disciplines. Courses are offered on campus, online, HyFlex and in a blended format. The college provides apprenticeship, certificate, technical diploma, and associate degree programs that respond to district workforce needs and prepare student for family-sustaining jobs and career advancement. |