My name is Felia Laurent, and my story is one I never imagined I would have to live.

At just 10 years old, I went on my very first trip to Disney World. While other children were running, laughing, and playing, I was in agony from a sharp pain in my left leg. My mother thought it was growing pains just like she once had. But when the pain grew so unbearable that I groaned in my sleep and could no longer walk properly, we knew something was terribly wrong.

Doctors soon delivered the words no child, no family, should ever hear: “Your daughter has bone cancer.”

From that moment, my childhood was stolen. Instead of school days and playdates, I faced hospital rooms, wheelchairs, endless tests, and chemotherapy. The treatments nearly killed me I went into cardiac arrest, developed blood clots, and missed my entire 5th grade year. Worst of all, the chemotherapy didn’t work.

Just days after my 11th birthday, I underwent a hip disarticulation amputation, losing my entire left leg. I had to celebrate my birthday early that year because no one was sure if I would survive the surgery.

But that wasn’t the end. Only a month later, my doctors told my family that the cancer had spread to my lungs. They said there was nothing else they could do. Their advice was to “make her comfortable” because she only had months left.

Imagine being 11 years old, told you will never grow up. Imagine being a mother, told to prepare to bury your child.

But by the grace of God, I am still here.

Against all odds, I returned to school, pushed myself onto the honor roll, and in 2024 graduated high school with honors. In spring 2026, I will be starting college, where I will study Culinary Arts with the dream of becoming a chef and one day owning my own restaurants.

Cooking has always been a passion of mine. Even as I battled illness, the kitchen became a place where I felt alive and free a space where I could create, experiment, and share joy with others through food. Many people told me that I wouldn’t be able to handle the demands of a culinary career because of my disability. They doubted I could stand for long hours, lift heavy equipment, or keep up with the intensity of a professional kitchen.

But I refuse to let my disability define what I can or cannot do. Yes, I will face challenges. Yes, I will need to adapt. But if cancer couldn’t take me down, then no kitchen in the world can stop me. Food is my passion, and I believe it will one day be my legacy a way to bring people together, create experiences, and prove that perseverance tastes sweeter than doubt.

Through all of this, I also found hope in a new passion: archery.

Archery gave me back my confidence and strength. It is the one sport my body allows me to compete in, and it has become my purpose. Every time I step onto the range, I am reminded that even though I lost my leg, I did not lose my aim, my focus, or my determination. Today, I am proud to be a para archer and youth ambassador, using my story to inspire others to never give up.

Now, I have been given the chance of a lifetime: to compete internationally in Trinidad and Tobago this October 2025

But I cannot get there without help.

The costs of travel, accommodations, fees, and equipment are overwhelming $6,000 in total. My family has already sacrificed so much; we cannot do this alone.

This is not just a competition for me. It is proof that a little girl once told she wouldn’t live to see her teenage years is still here, still fighting, still reaching for her dreams. It is also the next step toward building the future I dream of a future where I am not just a survivor, not just an athlete, but also a chef who turns her pain into passion and her obstacles into opportunities.

Please, if you can, help me take this step. Every donation, no matter how small, brings me closer to proving that disability does not mean defeat, and survival can lead to victory.

If you cannot donate, even sharing my story means the world.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart,

Felia Laurent

19 years old · Amputee · Cancer Survivor · Fighter · Para Archer · Future Chef