Fairfield junior stays positive through illnesss
GOSHEN —
To say Fairfield High School junior Allison Hostetler is a remarkable young lady who is mature beyond her years, is an understatement.Faced with what many people would consider devastating news, this bright-eyed, blond-haired bundle of energy has carried on with her life as if nothing could stop her.
Her saga began with headaches in 2008.
“It was a busy time with the varsity golf season going on, plus I had the lead in the school musical,” she said. “In March of 2009 I had an MRI, because the doctor thought there might be something wrong with my sinuses.”
The diagnosis was bad news. She had a brain tumor resting on the cerebral tissue lining her spinal column. But Hostetler took that bad news and put a positive spin on it.
“I’m a Christian and my faith in God has sustained me,” she said. “I remember telling Bob Miller (Fairfield football and boys track coach) about it and he said he would pray for me. It was nice to talk to him and know he would be praying for me. It’s cool to have coaches support you like that.”
Fairfield girls track coach Darin Holsopple clearly remembers the day Hostetler broke the news to him.
“That was a bad, bad day,” he said. “I remember driving home to see my own 2-year-old, blond-haired daughter crying my eyes out.
“Allison is such an awesome kid. She is a great example to those around her. I have no doubt if you took a vote on the track team for ‘best friend,’ Allison would win.”
The tumor
In June of 2009, a biopsy showed Allison’s tumor was benign, but due to its critical location the doctors were hesitant about surgery.
“It’s right in the center of my brain, so it would have been major surgery,” she said. “The other option was radiation treatments. The doctor talked about a new treatment called Proton Radiation. There were only three places in the country doing the procedure. One was in Boston, another in California and the third in Bloomington (Indiana). It had to be a God-thing that one of the facilities was only four to five hours away.”
From November of 2009 through this past January, Hostetler underwent treatments at the Midwest Proton Radiation Institute in Bloomington.
During that period of time, Allison and her mother, Cindy, stayed with friends in Spencer. Allison kept up on her school work by taking Spanish III and a pre-calculus math course at Bloomington South High School while having teachers at Fairfield fax the rest of her assignments to her.
“I made some good friends at Bloomington South, ones that I still keep in contact with,” Hostetler said.
The bubbly teenager with an outgoing personality put her time to good use in Bloomington by helping others rather than feeling sorry for herself.
“My time there was a real eye-opener for me,” she said. “Yes, I was in a bad situation, but there were people a lot worse off than me. As a Christian I try to be thankful for everything given to me, even if it’s a hardship. I look at my situation as a way I can reach out to other people.”
Hostetler had to lie still during her treatments, a situation often difficult for younger children who are generally put to sleep for the procedure.
“Before one of my last treatments, the technician told about a little girl who was having trouble with being put to sleep,” Hostetler said. “They thought maybe watching one of my treatments would help her. I said it was fine with me.
“My Mom and I became very close with her and her mother. On my last night, her Mom came to me with tears in her eyes and told me she was not sure what her daughter would have done without me.”
Allison’s positive presence didn’t go unnoticed by the staff at MPRI.
“One of the technicians told me that my strong Christian presence would be missed,” she said.
Hats for others
Some people lose their hair during radiation treatments, but Hostetler didn’t.
“I had four treatment spots on my head. My hair didn’t fall out but it did thin,” she said.
Her treatments started her thinking about ways to help others who were not so fortunate.
“I crochet and started making hats. We went to Jill’s House where some of the patients stay and passed out 30 of them,” she said. “I continue to send them hats. This is a way for me to reach out to others who are not so lucky.”
She has even started a Web site – allicaps.com – where people who have received one of her hats can share their story with her.
Through all of her ordeal, Hostetler has maintained her 4.0 grade point average at Fairfield, where she has been on the high honor roll, student council and currently serves as junior class president. She is a member of the Fairfield Show Choir, captain of the dance team and has had the lead role in several musicals.
She is also active outside of school. She is a long-time 4-H member and was named “Miss Congeniality” at the Elkhart County 4-H Fair queen contest in 2009. She also volunteers at her church and has been on mission trips to Los Angeles and the Dominican Republic.
Hostetler’s first appointment after her treatments was a surprise to her doctor.
“My headaches were pretty mild and not as often. I was tired from the radiation, but overall was OK,” she said. “He told me it normally takes six months to a year for a tumor to shrink, but in my case he couldn’t be happier. He showed Mom and me the MRIs before and after and you could see the tumor was smaller.
“He has never seen such a change. It was a miracle. He didn’t have any other explanation other than it had to be faith.”
Spirit nomination
Officials at Fairfield were so impressed with Hostetler and how she has handled her situation they nominated her through the Indiana High School Athletic Association for the National High School Spirit of Sport Award.
The award, which is voted on at regional levels with nominees then considered for the national award by the National Federation of State High Schools Associations. The national award will be presented in July.
In an IHSAA press release, one Fairfield administrator said, “She is like a bucket of water being spilled out on all of us and gives us a glimpse of a student who truly understands what is important about life.”
Hostetler has been the MVP of the Fairfield girls golf team her sophomore and junior seasons. She was a regional qualifier in 2008.
College
She is already thinking about college and wants to go into the medical field.
“I have always been interested in that area and this has been a confirmation,” she said. “I have a passion for helping people.
“It might sound funny to some, but I thank God every day for the tumor. It has helped me become the person God wants me to be.”
Holsopple added, “Allison has not survived this, because she is a special person. She has survived because of the special person she is.”
Allison is the daughter of Trent and Cindy Hostetler of Millersburg. She has two brothers – Tyler an eighth-grader and Tim a fourth-grader.
