- Ariya Park, a neuroblastoma survivor, is a "Youth Athlete of the Year" finalist.
- Her cheerleading coach praised her resilience, recalling her determination despite medical challenges.
- Votes for Ariya can be cast daily until Thursday at 6 p.m. MDT.
SALT LAKE CITY — A young Utah girl is now a national finalist in the running to become the "Youth Athlete of the Year." Surviving tough competition is nothing new for her, though, since her winning battle with the big "C."
Ariya Park, age 10, is both an elite cheerleader and a neuroblastoma cancer survivor.
"My favorite thing about cheer is everything. Like, I love everything about it," she said. "I just try to stay focused and keep learning."
With so much time logged overcoming life's hurdles, Ariya sometimes speaks like an old soul. It's one of the many "incredible" ways she inspires her community.
"I remember I was sitting there and I — she was just carrying around her machine. She had tubes with the, you know, the little tube in her arm," said her cheer coach, Keisah Marquardson. "And I just started crying. I was like, 'Oh my gosh, like, I know you've survived cancer and I know that this is part of your life, but this is a part of your everyday life.'"
Ariya's mom, Krysta Park, said the young girl also struggled with an autoimmune disease, which made every day of health an even greater gift.
"Her autoimmune disease — that took a lot more effort to get resolved," Park said. "But as you'll see, in a little bit, it's pretty incredible the things she can do."
From back walkovers with her best friend Paisley, to extraordinary lifts with her spotter, Ariya and her family say she's focused on gratitude for the people in her life — and having fun.
Votes for Ariya in the competition can be cast once daily until Sept. 4 at 6 p.m. Donations to the organization — V Foundation for Cancer Research and Why Not You Foundation — also contribute to vote totals, with every dollar counting as one vote.
The winner of "Youth Athlete of the Year" will be featured in a 3BRAND ad in Sports Illustrated and take home a cash prize of $25,000.
Editor's Note: This article was published in support of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in September. Visit the American Association for Cancer Research to see how you can help make a difference in lives like Ariya's.
