Meet…
Taylor Hudson, a communication major who has found a warm welcome here at Sinclair and believes that we all need to appreciate the simpler things.
Why she’s interesting…
Hudson grew up down the road in Kettering, Ohio. Going by the nickname “taterbug,” Taylor imagined her life going much differently than it has.
At the age of 12, Hudson was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
After her diagnosis, Hudson says: “life just took a spiral out of control.”
Hudson said she learned a valuable lesson during this time of her life: “There is plenty to be sad about, trust me it gets better, and when it doesn’t get better, suck it up.”
Hudson found herself in and out of surgeries and treatments that left her exhausted and without hair.
“Being a teen in the midst of life-changing diagnosis like cancer, makes you think about a lot of things” said Hudson.
Months after her diagnosis her dad passed away and Hudson said the pain was overwhelming.
She was in and out of hospital, she was worried about her mom who was now a widow and watching her daughter in the middle of the fight of her life, unable to help.
Taylor felt hurt by this and saw how others stepped in and she knew that’s what she wanted to do when she beat cancer, help others.
“If I could go back and give my younger self advice I would have told myself to not wear that darn wig,” Hudson said.
“When I first lost my hair, I was like most teen girls, I felt insecure,” Hudson said. “When walking down the hallway at school a few mean kids saw my cancer as an opportunity to bully me. They grabbed the wig off my head and made fun of me.”
It hurt her in many ways Hudson said, but it embarrassed her most of all.
“Being bullied when you are a kid is bad enough but when you are bullied for having a terminal illness, well, that is even worse,” Hudson said.
Pity is not a word Hudson feels is useful when it comes to cancer. She said that she has never wanted pity or attention for having had cancer.
Hudson said that you need is self-confidence. She said that she wished she never wore the wig and she had wished she had the confidence to be proud of her fight and that she was doing things that many with cancer, never had the chance to do.
“Confidence doesn’t rely on your looks, let setbacks empower you, and don’t get attached to miniscule things like hair, your weight, or anything that can change or be taken away,” said Hudson.
Today you see a healthy young woman determined to make a difference.
Hudson, who will graduate in May, works at Elsa’s and is an active intern at Nucleus Co-Share. Hudson also volunteers regularly with friends who are planning a music festival.
Hudson lives with her boyfriend, a musician, and their new puppy, a grey lab named, Blue.
When she isn’t volunteering or working on her degree, you will find Hudson riding her bike downtown, doing yoga or hiking.
Although she is in remission, the thought of cancer returning pops into her mind every now and then.
Hudson said: “the thought lingers in your sub conscious mind, sometimes it makes me feel like discussing it, but it’s a fine line discussing being a survivor.”
“You don’t want to have people think you’re bragging, but at the same time, you are proud of beating cancer,” said Hudson.
Although Hudson still faces the occasional setback, she never lets it get to her, saying “it can always be worse.
Chastity Irwin
Contributing Writer