Erin Newman
4th Year Recipient
LSU
Erin Newman is the daughter of Jerry and Phyllis Newman of Mandeville. She is a 2005 graduate of St. Scholastica Academy. Erin was a fulltime student at LSU until the summer of 2006 when she was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease. Her treatment began in August 2006 at Hematology and Oncology Specialists in Covington where she completed six cycles of ABVD chemotherapy treatment. Erin then received tomotherapy radiation treatments at Mary Bird Perkins in Baton Rouge. Erin shared these thoughts about her future in her scholarship essay: "Since I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease on August 13, 2006, not only has my outlook on life changed, but my goals have changed as well. After being forced to take a year off from school, I was given plenty of time to think about my college major. While being treated by the best nurses I knew, I came to the conclusion that I wanted to touch peoples’ lives in the way that each one of my nurses and doctors had touched mine. I finally made my decision. I decided I was going to enroll at Louisiana State University, finish my degree, and then go back to nursing school and eventually become an oncology nurse. I feel that actually being able to say that I have been there and that I can relate to the patients will make it a more memorable experience. I want to give back to my community and be able to help people who are dealing with the same problems as me. Cancer is not an easy thing to deal with, but I know from experience that having someone there, who has been through it already, can be a great help and can make the fight a little easier. This experience has proven to me that there are wonderful doctors and nurses in this world who will not give up on anyone; rather, they will push them to fight till the end. My nurses and doctors have proven to me that every life is worth fighting for. I can now tell people from my experiences that this is true. I want to help people and let them know that no matter how hard cancer can get, it is always worth the fight." Erin graduated from LSU in May, 2010 with a degree in Kinesiology and is currently enrolled in Delgado’s Practical Nursing Program. She plans to continue in school to become an Oncology Nurse Practitioner.
