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Young Tampa student raises money for cancer while fighting it

For adults, hearing the word "cancer" is devastating. But, for Natalie Santiago, not knowing much about it helped her keep that positive smile she's known for.
Student Natalie Santiago is an inspiration to teacher Ashley Caldwell.

Natalie Santiago has a smile that lights up the hallways at Randall Middle School in Fishhawk.

The school leader and straight-A student is very involved. You wouldn’t know she missed more than a year of middle school.

At the age of 11 years old, she was diagnosed with cancer.

“Like I’d known about it, but I wasn’t quite sure what came with it,” she said. “Kind of like a mix of emotions, like confused and worried.”

For adults, hearing the word "cancer" is devastating. But, for Natalie, not knowing much about it helped her keep that positive smile she’s known for.

“It was hard, but like I’m a positive person, so I found things to do. I started making clay figures.”

Her spirit impressed those around her.

“I was blown away. I went into another teacher’s room and we just cried together because we love this girl so much,” said Ashley Caldwell, a teacher and SGA sponsor at Randall.

Caldwell says Natalie won a student leader position not long before her diagnosis. But, there’s no way they’d let her feel left out.

“We Facetimed her at some of her officer meetings. We didn’t at all feel like she wasn’t an officer,” she said.

“She means a lot. She means hope. She means happiness. She means no matter what we’re going through there’s something we can do. If not for us for someone else.”

A lot for someone else. She started helping raise money for pediatric cancer while she was still recovering. She’s now raised around $6,000 in just two years.

“My slogan for the project is 'We got this,' 'cause you can always fight through it with other people,” Natalie said.

For her work, Natalie is receiving the President's Volunteer Service award. Yes, from the president of the United States.

Next year, she's going to Newsome High School and will continue her efforts to raise money for pediatric cancer.

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