In 2009, my grandma, Shelly, was diagnosed with nonsmoking lung cancer. At the time, I was only 7, so I never understood what was actually happening. All I knew was that my grandma was sick, and wasn't getting better. As I got older I started to understand more, slowly, but never fully. Before I knew it, she had an oxygen tank and always breathed heavily. I didn't even know what an oxygen tank was at the time, but I was told that it helps her breath, which was enough for me. Then she moved out of her condo and moved into a hospice. I remember a time when she was in the hospice, and we were visiting her and as I was walking in, she told me "Don't be afraid". That inspired me in sports and school, and is a moment I will never forget. Two years later, on March 27, 2011, she passed away. Now I am 13 yeras old and fully understand everything that I didn't before, and it really affects me now more than it probably did 5 years ago. So now I am determined to help make lung cancer treatable, and stop it all together. So, for my bat mitzvah project, I am going to be raising money to donate to lung cancer research. But I can't do it alone. So please donate and help me reach my goal of $2,000. Thank you!

                                                                                   - Sophie Schnoll