It’s been ten years since Kacie Francois made her first trip to Memphis. At just 18 months old she was being treated for cancer. Since then, she has fought cancer twice and has managed to come out on top each time.
Kacie isn’t your average Lafayette High School student. But she still enjoys the things that an average high school teen would. She runs track, is in honors, and enjoys hanging with her friends.
And while Kacie may seem average, she has been through more in her 14 years than most people in their entire lives.
"It’s been five years in remission and three years off treatment," says Francois. "It’s just really comforting to know that they’ve helped me so much. That I can run track, go to school and be normal."
Diagnosed with cancer at 18 months, Kacie spent several years of her life receiving chemotherapy and taking trips to St. Jude in Memphis, Tennesse. After several successful treatments, she was finally cancer free. She and her family were told her cancer wouldn’t come back.
A few years later, however, it did. But even that news didn’t phase the teen.
"It was kind of familiar being back at St. Jude. It feels like a home there even with everything that was happening and how scary it was. It made me feel that I had a lot of hope and knew I could get through it all."
Because of what she’s been through, Kacie has learned to never take life for granted.
"When I get an opportunity I feel like I should take it even if it’s something new. Knowing that things can change so fast, I feel like you should experience as much as you can while you have the chance."
While Kacie’s story may have started with a few bumps in the road, she has learned to navigate around them and start paving her own path. A path that is leading to a great future.