Sisters’ strength inspires support for childhood cancer research

This article appears in the Winter 2024-25 issue of Hallways, Harpeth Hall's bi-annual publication.

When Isabel Johnson ’24 was 4 years old, her family’s world shifted with her leukemia diagnosis. Again, at age 10, the disease returned.

For her younger sister Grace Johnson, just two years behind in age, those early years were a blur of hospital rooms, extended family care, and afternoons spent playing games by Isabel’s bedside.

When Isabel was diagnosed a third time at age 16, the story changed. This time, Grace—then an 8th grade student at Harpeth Hall—became a key player in Isabel’s healing journey.

“The first two times my sister was diagnosed with cancer, I was tested to see if I was a match to be her bone marrow donor,” recalled Grace, now a junior at Harpeth Hall. “Unfortunately, I was not close enough of a match either of those times. However, the third time she was diagnosed, I was allowed to be her donor.

“This was only possible because of the new technologies that were capable of making someone who is not usually a match become one. Without the increase in funding for cancer research, the science might not have been advanced enough for the transplant to happen.”

That knowledge, along with her family’s personal story, has inspired Grace to lead Harpeth Hall upper school students in a coordinated effort to raise money for Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. This year, several clubs have collaborated on initiatives to raise awareness and support, including:

• A focused theme of childhood cancer awareness throughout the month of September, complete with an informational booth at the fall Beargate athletic celebration
• A coordinated initiative to write notes of gratitude to healthcare workers
• A Public Purpose Council-hosted event to make craft kits for hospital patients
• A commitment to donate 10% of proceeds from the junior class fundraiser to Monroe Carell
• A Student Council and ActNow collaboration to plan and host a Fall Fest for upper school students from Harpeth Hall and MBA. The event included live music, and proceeds from ticket sales and a bake sale went to Monroe Carell.

“Students stepping up for this cause truly is making a difference in people’s lives,” Grace said. “... Writing notes can feel so simple and easy, yet it really does have a huge impact on individual people. The children receiving craft kits are feeling noticed and seen in the midst of difficult situations. The five minutes students are spending on these activities are creating moments that patients will always remember. I think it is also so important to show gratitude towards the healthcare workers. Their jobs are super hard, and they spend all of their time helping other people. It is important that people are recognizing and appreciating their hard work. It is so meaningful that such a quick task can have a positive, lasting impact on others.”

All of these efforts reflect the intentional focus Harpeth Hall places on teaching students how to make a difference in their communities and the world. Inspired by shared school values, students come together around the question of how they can contribute to the greater good, and then, inspired, they turn outward to our community.

“We teach them how to channel that care,” said Jessie Adams, Ph.D., who serves as Harpeth Hall’s director of community engagement and the upper school Public Purpose coordinator. “Our girls learn to work with our nonprofit partners in a way that truly meets the needs of the community.”

In total, Harpeth Hall students raised more than $3,600. It is significant to note, Dr. Adams said, that the money did not go to a general hospital fund but instead directly to support cancer research for pediatric patients in the Nashville community, which makes the direct impact feel even more tangible to the students.

“The support from students at Harpeth Hall helps us fuel the latest advances in treatment for children with cancer,” said Dr. Debra Friedman, who serves as the E. Bronson Ingram Chair of Pediatric Oncology, the director of Monroe Carell’s division of pediatric hematology/oncology, and the deputy director of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.

“It is so special to see students giving back and raising funds for Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt because they can see how their efforts directly impact their community and the children facing cancer in Middle Tennessee and beyond. Their generosity will help us make new discoveries to better understand what causes childhood cancer and how to prevent it, so that ultimately no child will have to experience this horrible disease.”

For Grace and her family, seeing the efforts of her classmates has been personally moving. Grace hopes that these efforts will bring other families the same outcome as her sister, who has been healthy and in recovery ever since the stem cell transplant. Isabel, now a Harpeth Hall alumna, is a freshman at UCLA and is “having a great time living life as a normal college student,” Grace said.

“This journey has shown me how the collective work of others can make a huge difference for those in need,” Grace said. “It is encouraging that it is possible for one person alone to leave an impact on others. It is even more encouraging to know that a huge group of people collectively giving back can make an everlasting impact. Whether big or small, deciding to give back and help others truly does make a difference. Living through these experiences, I can clearly see how supporting a cause can help heal a family.”