Stephanie Talaia-Murray

Hello! My name is Stephanie and I've been lucky enough to be a part of this amazing community for all of my 22 years. In 2012 I graduated from Milford Central School and went on to attend Hamilton College in Clinton, NY. This past Fall I received the news that I'd been diagnosed with AML, a form of acute leukemia. Since that day in October, I've undergone two intensive rounds of chemotherapy in order to get rid of each and every pesky cancer cell. I've cut short my senior year at Hamilton College in order to do this, and while I didn't miss the stress of finals week, it will be difficult to see the rest of my class graduate ahead of me. Though the treatment is tiring and the loss of body hair is...really cold..it has been humbling to see the community unite in support of me and others in similar situations. The light at the end of the tunnel is a stem cell transplant, which I am scheduled to receive at the beginning of February. Hopefully by this time next year I will have grown back enough body hair to jump in the lake myself! Thank you so much for your generosity.