Kiera Chirdon was a tenth grader at the Altoona Area High School and miraculously survived for eight years with epithelioid sarcoma, a very rare form of cancer. There are only 100 cases of this type of cancer worldwide and to have survived eight years was a miracle.
Kiera and her family met with healing priest Father William Kiel and made two pilgrimages with him to Medjugorje, where they saw the Miracle of the Sun and met with visionary Vicka. While there, the family experienced a peace beyond this world while climbing Apparition Hill and Cross Mountain.
Kiera was an ambassador for the Brian Morden Foundation and a youth advocate for the Griffith Family Foundation’s Sideline Cancer campaign. She was also the recipient of the 2013 Matthew 25 Youth Humanitarian Awards through Catholic Charities.
Kiera worked closely with Jack Andraka to create the Sideline Cancer campaign and truly inspired the Griffith Family Foundation, her peers, and the community. Both Kiera and Jack are two young adults transforming our cancer community through knowledge, love, and connections.
In honor of Kiera’s dedication to the Sideline Cancer campaign and her courageous battle with cancer, the Griffith Family Foundation is proud to present the inaugural Kiera Courage Award. Each year, this award will be given to a student that exemplifies Kiera’s faith, hope, and love.
