By Grace Sarkisian | WeINSPIRE Journalist

TAMPA, Florida - When McKenzy Hupke, 23-year-old, was first diagnosed in March of 2015 with Stage 4 squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, her doctors did not predict she would live long enough to graduate from college, but this past May (2022), she proved them wrong when she walked across the stage at Wagner College’s commencement to accept her diploma.

“I had been through a lot to get to graduation, without this really emergent brain surgery I had in March I probably would not have made it to this graduation in May,” Hupke said.

The Seven Year Journey

Before the official diagnosis in 2015, her doctors originally thought the tumors were benign and Hupke went through roughly 10 surgeries in her nose and ears removing the tumors they suspected were benign. After a lung biopsy and several other tests, it was discovered that the tumors were cancerous. 

Hupke soon after her diagnosis began receiving chemotherapy at Memorial Sloan Kettering and started numerous treatments to fight cancer.

“It started with chemo in 2015 and then I had radiation in 2016, still continuing chemotherapy and I was having surgeries once in a while. Then I started immunotherapy and in 2017 after the immunotherapy and radiation they thought I was in remission for a bit,” Hupke said. 

Hupke was a sophomore in high school when she was first diagnosed and at the beginning of her college career, she was still receiving treatment, but not as aggressive as in the past as she was thought to be in remission. In 2019, at the start of Hupke’s junior year of college, it was discovered through surgery that she had relapsed. 

In the Spring of 2021, the cancer had escalated; this was when Hupke had her first brain surgery. Through all of this, she had lost most of her hearing abilities due to the tumors in her ears.

“I’m a singer so that was quite upsetting and that was the big thing about my health for me honestly was my hearing loss…by 2021 I just couldn't listen to music the same anymore, I couldn’t hear voices the same anymore and I had to use an app to get captions all the time,” Hupke said. 

After her initial brain surgery, Hupke began a new form of chemotherapy, but unfortunately, a few months after surgery, the tumors had come back more quickly than anyone had thought. In August of 2021, she was back in the hospital and her surgeon and other doctors recommended that she go on hospice. 

“I was not willing to do that,” Hupke said. 

College graduation was on Hupke’s bucket list and she was going to do everything in her power to ensure she would reach that, which did not include hospice care and so instead, she went back on radiation treatment, called a Quad-Shot. After more radiation and chemotherapy, Hupke had her second brain surgery this past Spring in which she recovered much quicker than anyone could’ve hoped. Since then, she has been on various different treatments for the last few months.

The Importance of Music and Caring

When Hupke was first diagnosed at 16-years-old she was attending a performing arts high school where she studied vocals and was involved in the theater program. From the first day Hupke was diagnosed with cancer to now, she has used her passion for music as a creative outlet.

“So she walked into my room and she told me she got the phone call that it is officially a cancerous tumor and that’s how I was told which was okay with me because it was an answer and it was something we were kind of waiting for. When my mom left my room I picked up my guitar and just started playing music and singing,” Hupke said.

During her chemotherapy sessions at the hospital, Hupke would sometimes visit the music room and sing while playing the keyboard in her free time. 

Hupke and her mother often commuted to the hospital in New York City from their home in New Jersey multiple days a week and these long car rides consisted of listening and singing along to music, whether it was Kelly Clarkson or Alanis Morissette. 

Hupke is also affiliated with The Frances Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping kids fight cancer. Since the first year of her diagnosis, Hupke has been performing at Galas and other events put on by The Frances Foundation, further bonding the relationship between her and everyone involved with the foundation.

When Hupke was at her lowest point, when she had lost most of her hearing and could not express herself through music, The Frances Foundation named her the 2021 Warrior of the Year.

“Getting to this event and getting Warrior of the Year meant so much to me and to be at an event like that, it felt like I wasn’t giving what I usually could, but I was just really honored,” said Hupke.

The Warrior Fights On

Around the time of her graduation, Hupke was doing so well that she was able to have a couple of weeks with no doctor’s appointments or treatments. Instead, she got the chance to spend time with family and friends, as well as explore New York City. Hupke is continuing to take things day by day and she is still uncertain about a lot of things pertaining to her health, but she is eager to see where her journey takes her next. To learn more about McKenzy and her journey you can visit her social media here!