Scholarship winner Taylor Hay shared her personal experience with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and how it has impacted her life.

Today, the national law firm of Baron & Budd announced that it has selected Taylor Hay as the winner of the Mesothelioma Cancer Victims Memorial Scholarship. She will receive a $2,500 scholarship paid directly to the financial aid account at her university.

Applicants were asked to submit a written or video essay about how cancer has impacted their lives. Taylor Hay’s winning written essay was selected after a competitive review by the Baron & Budd Scholarship committee. Her touching essay detailed how her battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, when she was only 9 years old, shaped her outlook on life. Hay explained how she overcame not only the health challenges she was facing, but also the challenges that came with missing school. Rather than letting it get her down, Hay resolved to study harder and graduated high school early at the age of sixteen. She has also dedicated much of her time to raising money for several cancer charities including Make a Wish, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Alex’s Lemonade Stand, Rady Children’s Hospital, and Ronald McDonald House.

In her essay Hay wrote, “During my fight, I witnessed countless miracles and experienced incredible kindness from other kids in the hospital, by the doctors, staff, and even from complete strangers. I found my views on life shifting in response. I frequently heard, ‘I'm so sorry,’ when people learned of my challenges, but my response always surprised them, and continues to surprise them to this day. You see, I don't view my cancer as a bad thing or something that made me weaker or a victim. Instead, I’ve learned to appreciate so many things that many overlook or take for granted. I have been blessed with a second chance at life and I refuse to throw that chance away. My mantra became, ‘I may have cancer, but cancer doesn’t have me’.”

Hay attends Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles and will be graduating in May.

“Taylor’s tenacious attitude and perseverance in the face of adversity will continue to serve her well in her legal career. We extend our best wishes for her future success and we are proud to help support her education,” said President and Managing Shareholder Russell Budd.

The Mesothelioma Cancer Victims Memorial Scholarship was established to honor the legacy of the thousands of Americans who are diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer every year. For more information about the Baron & Budd Mesothelioma Cancer Victims Memorial Scholarship, please visit baronandbudd.com/mesothelioma-lawyer/scholarships/.

ABOUT BARON & BUDD, P.C.

Baron & Budd, P.C. is among the largest and most accomplished plaintiffs’ law firms in the country. With more than 40 years of experience, Baron & Budd has the expertise and resources to handle complex litigation throughout the United States. As a law firm that takes pride in remaining at the forefront of litigation, Baron & Budd has spearheaded many significant cases for hundreds of public entities and tens of thousands of individuals. Since the firm was founded in 1977, Baron & Budd has achieved substantial national acclaim for its work on cutting-edge litigation, trying hundreds of cases to verdict and settling tens of thousands of cases in areas of litigation as diverse and significant as dangerous and highly addictive pharmaceuticals, defective medical devices, asbestos and mesothelioma, wildfires, environmental contamination, fraudulent banking practices, e-cigarettes, motor vehicles, federal whistleblower cases, and other consumer fraud issues.

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