“In the summer of 2015, my life became as bumpy as any spring road in Minnesota. Crippling pains left me bed ridden for days in hospitals with doctors who could give me no other answer than "You're backed up.” When the answer we were looking for finally came, it was a relief there was a treatment—one that wasn't as difficult as what others had to go through. 

However, the road ahead was in disrepair: bi-daily hospital visits for heavy-hitting chemo that only caused us to double back due to an increased fever, to be stuck in hospital rooms no more than 10 feet by 15 feet. It would shake any 13 year old to the core.

I am a survivor of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. I still bear the sears of my treatment in my mind and on my body daily. My hardships gave me the gift of appreciation for life, community, and family. I am blessed there was an end date to treatment from the start because it meant I survived; 11-19-2018.”

In 2018, Saunder was named Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Boy of the Year, and in 2019 competed for Minnesota Student of the Year in memory of his friend Christian Larson, who passed away in September 2018 from cancer. Today, at age 19, Saunder enjoys mountain biking, camping and climbing. Currently he works for a customized living community, and aspires to a career in the realm of mental health. 

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