The 2024 Recipient
Caroline Laughorn, 23, of South Boston, Virginia, who has been battling leukemia for for most of her life. On May 1, 2009, at age eight, Caroline was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. She went though two years of chemotherapy at Duke University Hospital before she went into remission in 2011. Caroline remained in remission for four years before she relapsed for the first time in October of 2015. She had just started her freshman year at Halifax County High School when the relapse took her out of school for the remainder of the year. Between 2015-2017, Caroline spent a huge portion of her time inpatient at Duke, as she was very sick. There were times when her doctors weren’t sure if she would make it through the night, but she kept fighting to live. In October of 2017, Caroline went into remission for a second time. She went on to graduate from high school in 2019, finishing 3rd in her class out of close to 400 students. Caroline was so excited to begin her freshman year at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, when she relapsed a few weeks before she was set to move in. She was devastated that she had to miss her first semester at JMU to fight cancer for a third time. Caroline underwent intense chemotherapy for a month, and then she received a newer therapy called CAR-T. CAR-T is immunotherapy that has been used over the past several years for relapsed patients with leukemia. CAR-T put Caroline back into remission for a third time, and she was able to attend JMU a semester late. In 2021, during Caroline’s sophomore year in college, she relapsed yet again. She went through another month of chemotherapy before Duke sent her to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for a trial called HuCART. Caroline and her parents had to live in Philly for six weeks before they found out that the trial had worked, and Caroline was in remission for the fourth time. HuCART kept Caroline in remission for 26 months, and she was able to complete her junior and senior years at JMU. While there, she, along with two friends, founded an organization called Dukes Against Childhood Cancer. The foundation was created to bring awareness, and to help others fight childhood cancer. Caroline graduated with honors from JMU in May 2023. She graduated with her BS in Health Sciences and with a minor in Pre-Physician Assistant.
Caroline moved back home to South Boston after graduation. She spent last summer obtaining her certification as a Medical Assistant. In late August, within days of finishing the course, Caroline relapsed once again. This past September, Caroline began treatments to put her back into remission so that she could undergo a bone marrow transplant. A bone marrow transplant is exactly what Caroline and her family tried to avoid for over fourteen years. She couldn’t avoid it anymore, as it became the last option to save her life.
On December 22, Caroline had her transplant. It’s been a difficult process, to say the least. After 41 days in Duke, Caroline was released to a hotel in Durham. She has to stay near the hospital until Day 100, which will be near the end of March. We pray that the transplant will be Caroline’s forever cure.
Five times! Caroline has had leukemia five times, and she’s been in remission five times. It’s almost unheard of! Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is the most common and most curable type of leukemia in children. For those who can’t keep it away, it’s a beast. Caroline has fought so hard over the years. She has never given up, and she has fought every single day with a smile on her face. She has shown the world what faith, hope, and love looks like. She’s a true warrior.
It is Caroline’s goal to continue her education in graduate school to become a Physician Assistant. She wants to work in pediatric oncology to help others kids with cancer, just like her.
