In 2017, Rachel was driving home from school in Ohio and had a seizure. Luckily, she wasn't hurt (except for some bruises and other small cuts) and no one else was injured.

At the hospital, doctors found a tumor during a CT scan. Once Rachel and her family realized that surgery was going to be the best option, they decided to go to Boston Children's for the surgery. The surgery was extremely successful, and Rachel went to college at Harvard a few months later.

When her tumor came back again her junior year of college, Rachel went to Dana-Farber and joined the Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) clinic

Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Neuro-Oncology Program was established in 2020 tocultivate research and bring highly specialized care to adolescent and young adult patients (ages 15-39) diagnosed with central nervous system (CNS) malignancies,including brain and spinal cord tumors

Rachel has had two major surgeries so far and if it comes back again, she will likely choose to go on a clinical trial. She is not currently in treatment (however there is a spot they are watching, and she has MRIs done every three months).

Rachel loves knitting and she recently started learning sewing from her grandma. 
She is beginning her final semester at Harvard and majoring in government with a minor in global health and health policy