Theo Chaquette
2026 Scholarship Winner
Montana Technological University

When I was ten, my mom was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer, and my childhood changed overnight. I didn’t understand the medical terms, but I understood fear—especially the day we left her in Boston for a month of surgeries.

While she was gone, I stepped into a role I never expected. As the middle child, I helped care for my siblings. My older brother, who has autism, struggled to understand why Mom was gone, so I helped keep his routines steady. My three-year-old sister only knew she missed her mom, and I helped comfort and care for her while my dad held our family together.

When my mom returned, months of chemotherapy and radiation followed. I watched her lose her hair and strength, but never her determination. Even on her hardest days, she still came to my games.

Through Little Pink Houses of Hope our family attended a retreat that reminded us we could still laugh and be together. My mom’s fight, shaped by her strength as an Army veteran, taught me resilience, responsibility, and the courage to keep moving forward.