WHB High School Grad Sets Precedent for Raising Cancer Awareness

For people fighting non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, times can feel difficult and alone. However, an East Moriches resident used her diagnosis to provide support to others in need.

Sydney Anastasia, a 2023 Westhampton Beach High School graduate, was diagnosed with Stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at age 9. With that experience came a great amount of fundraising for similar causes, leading to the idea of starting a childhood cancer awareness club in high school.

“I had been fundraising for various cancer organizations for my entire life, so we were thinking if there was a way that we could put money towards that,” says Anastasia, noting that while some clubs hold fundraisers once a year, the focus was to make raising awareness a fixture.

After years of planning with friends, they met with their principal about their vision. In recounting their discussions, Anastasia mentions the principal’s message, stating, “You have to prove that you can get awareness and get people to get involved.”

With those words in mind, raising awareness became the focus, and despite the events of the COVID-19 pandemic, the club made do. Anastasia’s group held online and outdoor events, such as bake sales and lemonade stands.

Once normal life returned, the club held lemonade stands at football games and fundraisers with Anastasia’s school volleyball teammates. Word of the club spread throughout her community, and, in her senior year, the WHB Golden Canes became the first new club at Westhampton Beach High School in over a decade.

Anastasia called the result “extremely fulfilling” with overwhelming support. “A lot of people in the town, when they heard about it, would come to the lemonade stand and say, ‘I heard it’s official, congrats!’ I remember when we started this three years ago. You don’t realize how many people actually paid attention until it was official.”

Anastasia is now a freshman biology major at Ohio State and nine years in remission. For her efforts, she was awarded the Brianna Lieneck Memorial Scholarship by the Odierno Law Firm. In a statement, Attorney Scott Odierno shared, “She represents the ideals of sportsmanship, leadership, resiliency and academic excellence that we hold dear.”

Although over 600 miles away, Anastasia is confident that new club advisors and future generations will continue to spread her message. “They take it very personally and passionately too, so I have a lot of faith in them to keep it going,” she adds.