Tasha is an animal-loving, adventure-seeking 18-year-old young lady who is often referred to as an old soul. She is fiercely determined, loves life, and loves to honor her Native American Yurok heritage.

In January of 2024, Tasha was diagnosed with a very rare and aggressive cancer called neuroblastoma.

Neuroblastoma is a type of cancer that attacks the adrenal glands, which are located on top of the kidneys. After doctors discovered the cancer, they also made another discovery; Tasha only has one kidney. This makes the treatment plan that much more complicated and riskier.

To make matters worse, this cancer has spread throughout her body, putting Tasha in stage 4 of this disease.

Tasha’s treatment plan includes an intense combination of therapies, including chemotherapy, surgeries, radiation therapy, stem cell transplant, biologic therapy, MIBG therapy, and immunotherapy.

In September 2024, Tasha had a 12-hour surgery at MSK Cancer Center in New York City. This surgery was successful in removing the cancer from her kidney. Unfortunately, she still has cancer on her liver and other areas on the right side of her body. This will require another extensive surgery.

Tasha loves to live life on the wild side. She rides dirt bikes, loves to hunt and go fishing, and does her best to live life to the fullest. She is giving everything to fighting this battle and hopes her story can inspire you to never give up.

Tasha will be adopted as the Sparrow to Grants Pass High School. GPHS students will work hard to earn money for Tasha through sponsored community service.