Olivia is a kind-hearted 10-year-old who’s always willing to help out. She loves going to the beach and trying new things – especially new foods. Olivia has a huge heart for her two golden doodles, Wish and Amelia. Through all her struggles, Olivia maintains a positive outlook, even as she battles rhabdomyosarcoma.

When Olivia’s parents noticed swelling behind her right eye, they decided to take her to an ophthalmologist who redirected them to Novant Health Hemby Children’s Hospital emergency room. It turned out that Olivia had a tumor behind her eye the size of a golf ball. She was scheduled for emergency surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible. A couple weeks later, she was able to undergo a full tumor resection.

After the debulking and craniotomy surgeries, Olivia had 66 weeks of chemotherapy ahead of her, plus 28 rounds of proton radiation. Now, Olivia’s family hopes that she can live a long, happy life, pursuing her every desire without this life-threatening illness. Olivia’s family is so proud of her determination and positivity throughout this journey. No matter what, she remains a fighter and stands firm in her faith.

Olivia’s mom, Christina, wants other families facing a difficult diagnosis to know that it’s a hard journey for every parent. “We learned the hard way to not self-diagnose and read every published article about cancer,” she recalls. She advises others to trust their doctors, stand firm when something doesn’t seem right, ask questions, and trust their hero. Olivia quickly learned the value of self-advocating by using her voice to always let her team know how she was feeling.

To Olivia and her family, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) is a pioneer for other foundations and families searching for a cure. They’re grateful that the Foundation brings awareness to such an underfunded area of research. Olivia even volunteers with ALSF to serve lemonade at her local Firebirds restaurant.

Now that she is in remission, Olivia is looking forward to brighter days for herself and all kids with cancer.

“God knew that I could handle losing my hair better than my two sisters.” – Olivia

Information provided by Christina Meyers, Olivia’s mom
Updated July 2023