back to dedications

Ashley Medina Age: 17
submitted by Krista Jones

Dear Riders!

I would like to take the time to ask if you would dedicate a part of your
race to a very important and special person that i know! I am 16years old
and go to Cawthra Park Secondary School and about a year and a half ago a
young beautiful girl named Ashley Medina was diagnosed with cancer.

She was at Cawthra Park as a dance major and had a sister and a couple of cousins who attented the same school. When she was diagnosed...everybody was devastated...it was a hard time that no one knew how it would turn out. Talk about scared. Her sister who is my age came into the dance room crying and looking so weak.

The amazing thing about this story is that Ashley didnt want anyone to feel sorry for her, she didn't want to think about what could and could not happen...she only thought about what was happening now and she reassured everybody she would be okay. A couple of months later Ashley was free of it all....the doctors had told her that the chemo therapy worked and it was gone.

She came back to school with her shaved head high and started on with her life again. This goes to show you that no matter who u are you can battle this and get through it.

Unfortunately for Ashley's case she got as far as she could. They found more cancer in her and it got even worse. On a lonely sad night Ashley Medina died. A 17 year old died three days shy of her 18th birthday! With many friends and family everyone was in total shock and it hit the school like an explosion! Everybody was affected even thought they didnt know her.

She danced her heart out for everyone in her life and battled cancer to the extent that she could. Even though cancer beat her.....it didn't win the battle....she did!