Andrea Fritz

Cancer is terrible. Cancer is nothing anyone should ever have to deal with. But that doesn't mean it can't sometimes lead to good things—inspiring greatness and tenacity not known before. Andrea Fritz has faced cancer and more only to come out even more determined than ever. And it shows in her achievements.

from ReadMedia:

At only 13 years of age, Andrea Fritz of Johnstown, Pa., told her parents she planned to go to medical school in order to make a difference in the lives of others, a goal determined by her own encounter with a rare form of cancer. Since making her decision, Fritz has dedicated her time to the sciences and to fighting cancer through service, ultimately becoming the chemistry major with the highest GPA in her class, an active student at SJU and a nationally recognized fundraiser – despite the obstacles she's fought along the way. On Saturday, May 12, Fritz will don her cap and gown and receive her diploma alongside more than 1,000 of her peers, and take the next step toward her goal: in the fall, she will begin her studies at Drexel University's College of Medicine, the same medical school her father attended when it was Hahnemann University.

The day she told her parents her plan to become a doctor, Fritz was recovering from the first of several surgeries to treat synovial sarcoma, a cancer that typically occurs near the joints in the arms and legs. With her cancer located in her leg, Fritz's treatment left her temporarily confined to a wheelchair, and then sent her through years of physical therapy.

For a teenager who was active in sports, the experience led her to choose a new outlet for her energy: fundraising for Relay for Life, which benefits the American Cancer Society.

"During that time, I was looking for something to do," says Fritz. "I'd always been involved in sports and I wanted to stay active."

During high school, Fritz raised $100,000 for Relay for Life through a letter campaign targeted at her family and friends. The amount earned her the distinction of highest youth fundraiser in the nation, and, when she applied to college, the Eagles Fly for Leukemia Scholarship to SJU. Partnered with the Eagles Fly for Leukemia Foundation, established by Philadelphia Eagles' former tight end Fred Hill, SJU offers the full-tuition scholarship to an incoming freshman who has survived cancer through strength, courage and determination.

This is one Johnstown native we can all take quite some hometown pride in.