Young Cancer Survivors Receive College Scholarships

Thursday, the American Cancer Society in Raleigh awarded these survivors scholarships, another milestone in their journeys.

"I had a brain tumor," says Beth Jones. "I just couldn't do anything, because I was weak all the time and I was sick. It's been five-and-a-half-years, and I've led my life now like I've been healthy all (along)."

Brent Cooley was just a boy when he was diagnosed.

"The tissue they had removed from my right wrist was cancerous. I had been diagnosed with melanoma," he says.

"After I came out of surgery, it was my 10th birthday. You know when I woke up that next morning, I had bags and bags of gifts from neighbors, from people I didn't even know."

And now he has another gift, a 1,000 scholarship, renewable every year.

"By the end of my fourth year at UNC-Charlotte, I will have received $4,000 of assistance, which is extremely helpful for my mother. It'll pay for my last year of college," says Cooley.

This year, the regional chapter of the American Cancer Society awarded 27 scholarships. Each scholarship is worth up to $1,000.