For OHS Alum Amelia Zai (‘23), the school year at UCLA was just starting. Welcome Week just happened, and it’s been a hectic week of excitement.  Amelia says, “It’s been a lot of meeting new people, there’s even a few OHSers on campus! There’s really just been this idea of finding a new sense of community after leaving such an amazing one.”

As for how her time at OHS has shaped her experiences at college, Amelia says, “While I can’t really speak to the academic experience yet, OHS exposes us to very diverse backgrounds. When people first hear about OHS and ‘online school,’ they might give it a bad rep, but OHS has so many people with very different experiences and that comes a lot in handy. College is just a bigger version of OHS. I learned how to interact with and appreciate cultures so it’s a really important life skill that has helped me a lot in college. Diversity is really embedded in the OHS community, and it’s the same at UCLA.”

When asked what she’s currently enjoying about college life, Amelia says, “The food is really good here! I lived in Massachusetts…Amherst is there. I thought they had pretty good food, but the food here is really good.”

Being in an in person space is also exciting. “I’m also excited to just meet new people and have in person experiences. Having classes in person and being able to discuss in person, there’s an extra layer of complexity and security in being in person and sharing your thoughts in person, since there’s a physical space where you can share your ideas,” Amelia says.

Amelia graduated from OHS in 2023. Since her graduation, Amelia has also become a published author. Her book, “Amelia Takes on Cancer,” was published recently. Amelia was diagnosed with ewing sarcoma bone cancer when she was 10 years old. “Kids with terminal illnesses get something called ‘make-a-wish,’” Amelia says,“I like to think that it’s a lot more than a trip to Disneyland, because it really is a life-changing experience.”

Amelia’s oncologist referred her to Make-A-Wish. “Initially, I wanted to go on a food tour to Thailand,” Amelia says.

Unfortunately, that was when COVID hit, making a food tour impossible. “The food tour was more of an impulse, and I gave it a lot more thought,” Amelia says.

“I thought about the community that helped me through this really difficult time in my life, and I realized that I wanted to bring the same sort of comfort they brought me. What better way to reach a huge audience than by writing a book?” Amelia says.

Having decided on her wish, Amelia began the process of writing her book. “I told Make-A-Wish about my wish, and they granted it. I got to work with so many amazing people: children’s book authors, publishers, illustrators, social workers, and childhood psychiatrists,” she says.

After two years of hard work, Amelia was able to put out a finished project. On Aug. 31, the book was launched at an Unlike Story. Amelia reflects on the event as an amazing and humbling experience and hopes it can reach her audience. “We launched the book August 31st on a Thursday at an Unlike Story. It was an amazing and humbling experience, and I really hope it can reach our audience,” Amelia says.

As for the most challenging part of the process, Amelia says, “I had a lot of trouble balancing such a heavy topic. Cancer is not something you can just tell your child and say ‘have fun!’ It’s a serious and heavy matter.”

For Amelia, trying to portray that concept of death and critical illness while maintaining an optimistic concept was the biggest struggle. “When you try to portray the idea of death and a critical illness to kids, sometimes kids don’t understand the gravity of the situation, how difficult it is on the family. I didn’t when I was diagnosed,” Amelia says.

“Keeping it light hearted, happy, and hopeful so that we can retain the child’s interest while also exploring the deeper themes of cancer was the hardest challenge, and still something that I think about day to day. I tried to explain what my feelings mean to me— the power that they hold. It helped me to reflect on experience and find silver linings. It’s something that is deep and sad, but there is also always light that you can find inside the darkness,” Amelia says.

As for the most rewarding part, Amelia says, “Just the process of writing the book and working with such an amazing team was good. They were very supportive of ideas, even when there were times where we weren’t sure my idea was the best idea.”

Holding the first print of her book topped it all off.  “After two years of writing manuscripts, illustrations, and putting everything together, actually holding the book is a feeling I can’t describe with words. You feel a lot of relief off of your shoulders, and it’s really a culmination of everything you’ve been working for,” Amelia says.

Amelia hopes to continue to give back by talking to families and meeting kids. “Talking to a kid with cancer isn’t like talking with other kids, they’re more in touch with the world. It’s almost like a pocket of fresh air, and it’s really great,” Amelia says.

Amelia encourages everyone to talk to them more, as well as listen to their stories. “At the infusion clinic, nobody asked what was going on with me. Getting to sort of vent about my experiences was a great outlet,” she says.

When asked about thoughts for the future, Amelia says, “A big thing is donating books to pediatric clinics. We have a GoFundMe where people can donate, and for every donation, you can donate a book to a kid with cancer.”

So far, she’s reached $5,700. “I can buy a lot of books with that money, the cost is covering the making of the books but all the author proceeds go back to the wish,” Amelia says.

Amelia just ordered 100 books for the Jimmy Fund Clinic in Boston, the hospital she stayed at for her treatment. She hopes to donate the books in mid-December when she is back home. Amelia is also ordering 50 to 100 books for the UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital.

“I really hope that wherever I go, I can leave a mark with a book.”

This story was originally published on OHS Observer on April 25, 2024.