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Teen mayor of Midwood High School empowers kids with cancer after her own battle

Brooklyn teen who survived cancer now using her experience to support and educate others
Brooklyn teen who survived cancer now using her experience to support and educate others 02:48

NEW YORK -  At first glance, you may think 17-year-old Briana Calin is an average teenager. 

As Mayor of Midwood High School, Calin is involved in school clubs, helps plan the yearbook and sells tickets to an upcoming show. But this high school senior faced the challenge of her life head-on when she was 15. 

Diagnosed with cancer at age 15

Calin was diagnosed with a stage 3 germ cell tumor on her ovary. 

"I was scared for my life. This was a day before my birthday, and I was just like one wish: let me go out for my birthday and I'll start everything after. And that was the saddest birthday of my life," Calin said. 

After months of chemo and an emergency surgery at Maimonides Cancer Center, Calin went into remission. 

"I would see like my hair falling out. I would be nauseous," she recalled. "It sometimes felt like I was in like a fever dream."

Back in school, Calin became president of the Cancer Support Club to use her experience to educate others. 

"It felt so good to just, like, be heard but also just to let it out and talk about it to people that maybe haven't gone through or they don't know what it feels like," she said.

Running a campaign from her hospital bed

Each year of high school, Calin tried to get a seat in student government, including running a campaign from her hospital bed. Four years later, as Midwood's mayor, she heads the student council table, takes suggestions, checks in with younger students, and goes through the week's agenda. 

Part of the agenda is organizing a fundraising walk for cancer through Relay for Life in the spring, in partnership with two rival Brooklyn high schools: Edward R. Murrow High School and James Madison High School. 

Giving back to other cancer patients has become a years-long commitment. Calin's frequent visits to the hospital are not just for check-ups. She and Shari Feinberg, Pediatric Oncology Nurse Practitioner at Maimonides Cancer Center, plan toy drives and events for those going through chemo. 

"To see someone who is at their worst and help them travel through this journey to get back to their best … you can't ask for anything better," Feinberg said, wiping away tears.

"This is a warrior spirit, never giving up"

In the evenings, Calin teaches young students at Champions Martial Arts Avenue U, a taekwondo studio her father owns. 

"This is a warrior spirit, never giving up. This is the indomitable spirit," said Bogdan Calin, her father who immigrated from Romania more than a decade ago. "If you give up in this battle with cancer, you're not going to win. You always have to fight."

Briana said there was a time after chemo when she never thought she could get back on the mat. Then last month, she got her 3rd degree black belt in taekwondo. 

After class, she wrote the word "cancer" on a wooden block and broke it in half gleefully, showing her warrior spirit in action. 

Have a story idea or tip in Brooklyn? Email Hannah by CLICKING HERE.

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