Michele, left, with Katie Strumpf at her office.

How do you lift the spirits of seriously ill children, some fighting for their lives? It might seem difficult, but this is what Starlight Children’s Foundation MidAtlantic does so well.

Katie Strumpf is the young woman of valor who makes the wheels of this organization turn. A cancer survivor herself, Katie creates, organizes and implements programs to entertain sick children and their families in a safe environment. Most of all, it’s free to participating families. These kids and teens are involved in all kinds of amusing activities, from mother-daughter spa days to arts-and-crafts programs, professional sporting events, Broadway shows, meals at fancy restaurants, movies and more. Katie recently took a break from her meaningful job to meet with me and tell me more about the program.

What’s it like to fight cancer at such a young age?
When I was diagnosed with cancer in 1991 [at age 10], I experienced a wide range of emotions—fear, anger, loneliness and, worst of all, helplessness. I felt like I had lost control of my body to a disease I didn’t even understand. Cancer gripped my life in terrifying ways and turned the world as I knew it upside down.

Instead of days filled with school, playing outside, movies and sleepovers with friends, my world consisted of chemotherapy, spinal taps, bone marrow aspirates and endless shots. My fight against cancer was not unique—approximately 12,400 children are diagnosed with cancer each year. My motivation for writing a self-help guide for kids with cancer, I Never Signed Up For This!: An Upfront Guide to Dealing with Cancer at a Young Age, stemmed from my desire to help young cancer patients feel less isolated and helpless in their battle against cancer.

Tell us about Starlight Children’s Foundation MidAtlantic.
Starlight brings joy to seriously ill children. Whether it’s finding friends online, learning more about a disease or just spending time together as a family, Starlight MidAtlantic’s programs help children and families cope with the challenges they face daily.

How did you get involved with Starlight?
A friend of mine heard there was a job opening there for a program services and volunteer coordinator and thought I would be a good fit for the position. I always wanted to integrate my experience with cancer into my career path, and working at Starlight on behalf of kids with life-threatening diseases seemed like the perfect place to do just that.

What’s the difference between being a kid who’s diagnosed with a serious illness and a teen?
This may surprise readers, but I often think that it’s easier for a young child to deal with a serious illness than a teen. Young children are more adaptable and have less worries and hang-ups [than] teens. For example, teens have to deal with peer pressure, puberty, more demanding academics and the trials and tribulations of being a teenager. Throwing a life-threatening disease into teenage years is just tough. However, I think teenagers may better understand their illnesses than young children.

What moments have been most meaningful to you and why? 
The most meaningful moments to me are every time I make a child with a life-threatening disease smile, laugh or [make] their day a little brighter. All the hard work, organizing, planning and implementing the Starlight programs are worth it when I see how they make these kids [feel]. I always think to myself, “I’m doing exactly what I should be doing in life.” Also, every time I read my book to kids with cancer or hear of it helping a pediatric oncology or hematology patient, I feel personally fulfilled.

What’s the best part of your career?
I think I’m really lucky to have a job that’s so personally gratifying and fulfilling and makes me feel good about the work I do.

What are your Jewish beliefs as a young adult?
I think I’m really lucky because my Jewish faith and connection to Judaism helped me through my life-threatening disease. It helped me to stay grounded and feel that I could persevere through such a terrifying disease as cancer.

What are your future ambitions?
My future goals are to start my own nonprofit that does community outreach for kids with cancer. I would do book readings in hospitals and just try to help as many kids as possible. I would also like to open my own café, but that’s much later in life!

Michele Pinczuk is a teen journalist who freelances for several publications, including The New York Times. She lives in the Washington, D.C., area. Michele loves New York and Saturday Night Live. Her role models are Gilda Radner, Golda Meir, her grandmom, mom and Aunt Sylvia. She’s also an executive member of the JVibe Teen Advisory Board.