MADERA, Calif. (KFSN) — At age 10, Chelsea Harkness learned she had been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
“My life changed completely in that moment of diagnosis,” Harkness said.
For the next two and a half years, Harkness underwent chemotherapy at Valley Children’s Hospital, a period that reshaped her childhood as she navigated intense medical treatment.
“I would lose all my hair,” she said. “I wouldn’t be able to go to school; I would be homeschooled. I couldn’t play the sports I wanted to play. I couldn’t see my friends as often because I had a low immune system.”
During that time, Harkness said her care team became a source of light and stability, supporting her through the uncertainty of treatment.
“They helped shape who I am today,” she said. “I loved my doctors, nurses and everyone that took care of me, everyone that I interacted here with at the hospital.”
Years later, Harkness has returned to Valley Children’s in a new role, one she describes as a full-circle moment.
In 2024, she became the manager of George’s Idea Lab, where she works with health care professionals to identify challenges related to medical devices or procedures and explore potential improvements.
“Even the smallest things can make the biggest impact,” Harkness said. “If there’s something that can make a procedure a little quicker, hurt a little less or get them home to their family, their beds, their pets a little sooner, then that’s a really big deal.”
Harkness said the work continues to inspire her, motivated by her own experience as a patient and the care she received.
“There are so many kids who are on their journey today,” she said. “If I can play a small part of their greater team to help them along in their journey and make it better in any way, I’m grateful to be a part of that.”
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