Christian was diagnosed with ALL in June 2007, at the age of 11, just as he finished elementary school. It turned out that he was very sensitive to the drugs given to him and he spent the entire summer in the hospital. It was difficult to accept that the drugs that would save his life could have such disastrous side effects. He started middle school attending classes part-time but with determination he was able to eventually get back to school full-time and keep up with his class. He had a number of "bumps in the road" with his treatment, but finished chemotherapy in July 2010. He is now in a long-term survivorship program, and continues to be cancer-free. Christian is now 17 years old and a senior in high school where he is involved in Science Olympiad. He is also active with Boy Scouts and is currently working towards achieving the rank of Eagle.He enjoys camping and hiking with his scout troop, snowboarding, swimming, and scuba. He also enjoys computers and playing video games, learning Japanese, and is an avid reader.