Graduate and Scholarship Donor Profile: Alyssa Sanford

Before cancer, Alyssa Sanford worked in her father’s Financial Planning practice, Sanford Advisory in Portage. After cancer, she’s about to get married and is now a Registered Nurse at Bronson Methodist Hospital.

In 2017, when she moved back home from Florida to work with her father, her parents, Todd and Amy Sanford, noticed that she was pale, tired and bruising easily. Medical tests revealed that she had a rare form of leukemia (APL). “I’m very lucky to be here. My doctor said I was 24 to 48 hours away from not being here at all,” she said. The doctor at Bronson knew she was gravely ill and knew they could not treat her, so they suggested that she be transported to University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor by ambulance immediately.

Sanford then spent months in the hospital undergoing treatment. Her nurses asked her if she had ever considered a career in nursing. She hadn’t, but the idea appealed to her since she already knew that she enjoyed helping people. Three years have passed since she underwent 109 cancer-fighting infusions and the Hackett Prep High School and Miami of Ohio University graduate has now completed her Associate Degree in Nursing at Kalamazoo Valley Community College and is working at Bronson Hospital on the General Medical Unit. She is also studying to complete a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing through Western Michigan University.

Kalamazoo Valley was a logical choice for re-entering college, Sanford said. “Kalamazoo Valley was the only place I wanted to go,” she said. “I started working on nursing prerequisites during chemo. I studied flash cards in my chemo chair. I worked really hard, even after going through chemo.” Despite the tiring effects of chemotherapy, she earned a 3.8 GPA in her courses. “I had such a wonderful experience at Kalamazoo Valley,” she said. “Patrick Joswick (director of nursing) was amazing. He would come and teach some of our pharm classes. He’s easy to relate to and is someone all the students enjoy as our director.”

While keeping up with school work was often tough, Sanford said she had plenty of encouragement, especially from her parents, her brother Brent and her fiancé Aaron Moshoginis. She also says she received excellent care at U of M and at the West Michigan Cancer Center in Kalamazoo, where she has follow-up appointments. “I was really inspired by my nurses,” she said “Because of everything I’ve been through, I knew I wanted to work with cancer patients,” she said. “You can share your story and also share your faith, which in turn gives patients hope and something to hold on to during hard times.”

Because she’s so grateful to have restored health and a new career on the horizon, Sanford has established a Kalamazoo Valley scholarship to benefit nursing students. “I really wanted to give back and the best way to do that is to help give people an education,” she said. “I’ve been very blessed financially and I feel really grateful every day to be here and able to share my story. I hope my scholarship inspires other students to do the same upon their graduation, given the opportunities we are presented with after receiving our education from Kalamazoo Valley.”

Donations to the scholarship fund are being accepted through www.kvcc.edu/foundation.