Scholarships for Students Whose Parents have Cancer

Looking for Scholarships for Students Whose Parents Have Cancer? then you are at right article. Being a student is already pretty stressful in itself. Unfortunately, some kids have to deal with the critical situation where their loved one is diagnosed with cancer.

This can mentally, emotionally, and physically drain a student. With healthcare being expensive in most developed countries, there are chances that there could be a severe financial burden on the family as well, this could in turn affect academics and other disciplines of life as well.

To help students in such conditions, there are numerous organisations and foundations that introduced various scholarships for students whose parents have a disability such as cancer which assist students in pursuing their education. 

How do cancer scholarships work?

Cancer Scholarships play a significant role in supporting students financially who have been impacted by cancer. Apart from providing financial support, most scholarships also offer an extravagant amount of encouragement and motivation to demonstrate determination and resilience. 

By lifting the financial burden off the student’s shoulders, these scholarships motivate them to focus on their academics and focus on personal growth. This would ultimately enable them to build themselves a bright future despite the challenges they face as their loved ones deal with the condition.

Families that deal with cancer undergo unimaginable physical, psychological and financial hardships. Around 70% of the time, students whose parents are dealing with cancer are often forced to interrupt their education as they barely have the time and resources to hold down a decent paying part time job.

Moreover, they cannot participate in extracurricular activities which tend to enhance their chances of attaining a scholarship. There are many scholarships for students whose parents have cancer. Some of the scholarship programs are restricted to students with parents who have a particular type of cancer. 

List of Scholarships for students whose parents have cancer

Navigating the scholarships for students whose parents have cancer could be extremely overwhelming for the applicants, however, with tons of scholarships available, the family can stay hopeful of the student’s high school or college education. With support from various foundations and organisations, most scholarships provide recognition, financial assistance, and encouragement to the applicants. 

By using these scholarships to their benefit, students can break the barrier of financial issues and work on their dreams and aspirations. No student applying for these scholarships is alone in this journey. Some scholarships available for the students are: 

1. Inheritance of Hope Legacy Scholarship:

The Inheritance of Hope Legacy Scholarship is open to high school students residing with a terminally ill cancer parent. The applicant must prove that they have a compelling reason to attain personal and financial support. Additionally, the students are expected to showcase their strong sense of love for family to win the award. It is a one-time scholarship with a $1000 award. It is a three-part application that includes a video submission by the student, a doctor’s note that confirms the parent’s illness, and a detailed online form submission.

2. Marilyn Yetso Memorial Scholarship:

The Marilyn Yesto Memorial Scholarship is given to college students who have a parent battling cancer or have lost a parent to it. The distinguishing condition of this scholarship is that the parent should have received the diagnosis while the student was between the ages of 15 and 35. However, this program requires the student to be 35 years or younger than that and should be enrolled or accepted in two-year or four-year courses.

The criteria for selecting the candidate are need-based, hardship faced due to cancer, community service to date, goals, and an essay on how the applicant would use their experience to help other fellow students affected by this problem. The students who are awarded this program are also required to finish around 25 hours of community service. The scholarship grants the selected students an award of 2,500 dollars towards their education. 

3. MaryEllen Locher Foundation Scholarship:

The MaryEllen Locher Foundation Scholarship is for students who have a parent dealing with breast cancer or who lost a parent because of this particular type of cancer. The application requires the student to live within a 50-mile radius of Chattanooga, Tennessee. This is a competitive scholarship since there is only one applicant who wins the award.

4. Pink Ribbon Breast Cancer Scholarship Program:

The Pink Ribbon Breast Cancer Scholarship Program is for high school students coming from EL Dorado County, California. The students should be enrolled in either of these 5 high schools: El Dorado High School, Golden Sierra High School, Oak Ridge High School, Ponderosa High School, and Union Mine School.

Applicants are required to have an immediate family, meaning they must be living in the same household diagnosed with cancer of any type. It is a three-step application process that is quite simple to fill and in total 5 students who are selected for this program are awarded a sum of $1,000 towards their education and other financial needs.

5. PinkRose Breast Cancer Scholarship:

PinkRose Foundation is a charitable trust that awards scholarships to students whose parents are dealing with breast cancer. Since it was established in 2003, PinkRose has awarded around 91 college students scholarships worth $1,000 each.

PinkRose Breast Cancer Scholarship recognizes that multiple students’ lives are affected due to the onset of this cancer in these loved ones. Every year 2 students are selected for the award. With an easy application process, this scholarship is quite easy to attain when compared to other ones on this list. 

6. Ermida Olivia Booth Scholarship:

The Ermida Olivia Booth Scholarship is funded via the Booth Family Foundation. This program assists students from middle-income families who have their mother or grandmother to cancer. The selected applicant will be awarded $1,000 every year for four consecutive years.

This scholarship only accepts college students and provides the awardees with financial and emotional support throughout their college academic journey. The students are required to submit a 500-word essay that describes their experience of losing a loved one to cancer along with their educational goals and career plans. 

7. The Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance Scholarship:

The Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance Scholarship is awarded to students who have been impacted by cancer or have a parent, sibling, or immediate family member who is battling cancer. The applicants should be enrolled in a four-year or two-year program in an accredited university or community college.

This program has a four-step application process that efficiently estimates your eligibility, submitting an essay, curating documents, and formatting applications if needed. Additionally, the students are required to submit relevant documents for proof. Like the previous one, this scholarship awards $1,000 to selected students for four consecutive years. 

8. Deana’s Wish Memorial Scholarship:

The Deana’s Wish Memorial Scholarship is a private-natured scholarship program funded by the DLH Foundation. This program grants $2,000 to students who have a family member dealing with gastro-esophageal cancer. The student should be enrolled in college at the time of applying. Additionally, the student has a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 along with one or more letters of recommendation. 

9. Robert L. Schulke Memorial Scholarship:

The Robert L. Schulke Memorial Scholarship is awarded to students who reside in Alpena County who battled cancer or are acquainted with a family member battling it. Students enrolled in health occupations or criminal justice programs are given preference and special consideration.

Additionally, students are required to be enrolled at Alpena Community College for a minimum of six credit hours every semester. The student’s account receives equal amounts of scholarship monies applied to it during the fall and spring semesters. The scholarship offer will be lost if the student does not enroll at ACC for the autumn semester.

Scholarships for cancer patients and survivors:

Cancer can be a very expensive treatment to cover. Often families end up spending the entire college savings and other family resources to fight the disease. This leaves the family financially wrecked. With every passing year, more and more children are getting diagnosed with cancer. When a parent is diagnosed with cancer, it could potentially affect their ability to support the family with love, care and other requirements. Moreover, loss of parents to cancer could be very negatively overwhelming for the children. 

Most scholarships are available not just to cancer patients and survivors but also to students whose family member is dealing with cancer. This could include parents, grandparents, spouse, siblings or children. 

Certain scholarships have age requirements; these vary depending on the student’s age at diagnosis and current age. For instance, to be eligible for funding from the Ulman Cancer Fund, a candidate must have been at least 15 years old at the time of their own or their parent’s cancer diagnosis.

Additionally, holders of federal student loans who are actively receiving cancer treatment are eligible for a cancer deferment.

Advice for students whose parent have cancer:

There are thousands of students in the USA out of which quite a few have a parent who is dealing with cancer. Students in such a situation often worry about their parents and think about how they can contribute to make their journey easier. Some tips that students can follow are:

1. Educate yourself in detail about your parent’s cancer. Sometimes, certain types of cancers are mere temporary disruptions while others are truly life-changing. This will help you contribute more towards your parent’s journey.

2. Communicate with your parents on a regular basis. Your love and care come through by staying in constant touch.

3. Locate a confidant with whom you may discuss your parent’s medical condition. It might be a friend, counsellor, brother, or another person. Though it’s unlikely that you want counsel, you will want someone to listen to you without passing judgement or interjecting.

4. Go about your life as usual as you can. Most parents don’t wish to interfere with your life in any way.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

There are a lot of scholarships available for students whose parents have cancer. Education can be quite difficult for most students who are in such a condition since the treatment process could drain the family’s savings and income. With this academic and financial pressure, it gets very difficult for students to focus on their dreams and aspirations. 

To ensure no student has to sacrifice on their due to a setback, various scholarships were launched which are exclusively meant for students dealing with cancer or dealing with family members who have cancer. Most applicants process video submissions and essay applicants which are a crucial factor to estimate a student’s eligibility. Additionally, students will be required to submit transcripts, doctor’s documents and more to prove their claims. 

Every student should remember that they are never alone in this situation. With hundreds of other students in a similar condition, there is someone one can always relate to. With perseverance and determination, everyone can overcome the hurdles of life, so will you. Have faith and keep going.