‘Never give up’: Orangeburg leukemia survivor graduates high school

The 18-year-old, who graduated high school on May 24, looks back on her journey with pride.

“I feel blessed to have survived it,” Dawson said.

“Now I get to tell my story for everybody else and help others that are going through it, but it is a tragedy that some people do not make it through things like that,” she said.

The Orangeburg teen graduated from the High School for Health Professions and plans to attend Claflin University with a major in biology.

She has continued to pursue academic excellence and participate in extracurricular activities. She graduated with a 4.8 grade point average and was ranked fifth out of the 96 students in her class.

“After Claflin, I want to go into medical school. I want to go to MUSC in Charleston and then complete my residency. My career goal is to become an anesthesiologist and in the late, late future, own my own hospital,” Dawson said.

She has dreamt big her whole life, all while keeping a positive attitude about life despite being diagnosed with leukemia at the tender age of 7. The cancer prevents the normal manufacture of red and white blood cells and platelets.

Dawson was in treatment for two years but was able to go back to school at the start of her third-grade year.

She went into remission from the disease when she was in the fourth grade.

“Of course, I didn’t have to go to the hospital as much. I wasn’t in and out. I was able to enjoy my life without being under anesthesia, seeing needles and stuff like that. I was able to be a regular kid, but, of course, I would never be a regular kid because I went through what I went through,” she said.

“I will always have to remember what I went through. I have to visit the hospital still to this day, but it gave me a sense of being more normal like everybody else,” Dawson said. She still undergoes yearly checkups.

She was too young to fully comprehend what being diagnosed with leukemia was like, but she knew it was a challenging time for her.

“At first, I didn’t really understand what was going on, but through the chemo and losing my hair and stuff like that, it was hard for me. The surgical part and the anesthesia weren’t that difficult for me, but just the whole process of having cancer and growing up with it, it was a struggle,” Dawson said.

She has learned a few lessons along her medical journey.

“My lesson will always be to just keep going. Never give up because if you give up, you’ll never succeed in life. My main goal is to succeed and become what I want to be,” the teen said.

Dawson has excelled both academically and athletically.

She is a member of the National Honor Society and HOSA – Future Health Professionals. Dawson has also earned several athletic awards while playing volleyball at Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School.

She received an award as a member of the South Carolina High School League’s Varsity Volleyball All-Region Team for Region V-AAA. Her other awards include, but are not limited to, the 2022-2023 Hustle Award, 2023-2024 Defensive Player of the Year, Player of the Month, Rookie of the Year and the WLTX Player of the Week.

“I did run track for one year, but that was just to keep in shape for volleyball,” Dawson said.

Graduating from high school was the culmination of her hard work over the years.

“It’s a big thing for me. High school was the biggest struggle, of course, because you’re about to enter the real world. That’s when the real work starts. I would say my 9th and 10th grade years were my easiest. The 11th and 12th grade years were the faster-paced years. It was a little bit of a struggle, but I managed to keep my grades up, keep my high GPA and get my work done,” Dawson said.

“High school was my favorite four years of school,” she said.

Her mother, Pamela, who also has a son who just completed his freshman year at South Carolina State University, said she is proud of her daughter.

“We’re all very proud of her and all of her hard work and determination. For the past two years she’s worked, played volleyball and kept her grades up. She really doesn’t need very much motivation at all. I guess she was born with it. She definitely has not let her diagnosis stop her,” she said. Pamela said she appreciates the support that the Orangeburg community has provided for her daughter.

Dawson said her family support has been extremely important to her over the years.

“They have been by my side, and they always motivate me to continue to keep my grades up. They want me to be the best I can be, and they are the reason I keep going to this day,” she said.