THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, June 4, 1996 TAG: 9606050594
SECTION: SCHOLASTIC ACHIEVEMENT '96PAGE: S3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TRACIE LIGUID, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 57 lines
April Stuart's prize-winning quilt reflects the will of the maker:
``Save the farmers and the commercial fishermen.''
The winner of The Virginian-Pilot's 1996 Scholastic Achievement $5,000 scholarship is no stranger to fighting the forces of nature.
Born with neuroblastoma, a rare childhood cancer, the 18-year-old Currituck County High senior endured intensive radiation treatments for the first 12 months of her life; after that, the disease went into remission.
Throughout elementary school, she made yearly visits to the oncology department of Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters in Norfolk.
Regular weight checks and bloodwork could not foretell that her lymphatic system would be choked by the time she was 12.
Stuart developed problems with her pancreas that made her appear pregnant.
``Doctors described her lymphatic system as being shot full of holes,'' said her mother, Cathy Chilton.
So it was back to the hospital again for six months of treatment.
She continued an academic homebound curriculum under the guidance of her mother, who holds a degree in education.
``I was like an astronaut,'' Stuart said, recalling her isolation from friends and family. ``But I firmed up about myself.''
She is an academic who studies with the television on.
Casually quoting from Robert E. Lee, she considers the idea of duty and endurance. ``He was a man with a plan.''
But closer to her heart is her father, Watson Stuart.
``He's done real good. And that's what I want to do, too. Just good.''
She plans to become a pediatric anesthesiologist and will enter Wake Forest University in the fall.
Stuart proudly talks of making nine quilts in one year for Christmas presents. Her careful handiwork has earned her several awards at county fairs and recognition from the North Carolina Federation of Women's Clubs.
Emmeline Candor Cenizal, winner of one of two runner-up scholarships, will attend the College of William and Mary. She also plans a medical career, in pediatric immunology or virology. She graduates this month from Tallwood High School, in Virginia Beach.
Dana Willner, the other scholarship winner, will attend Washington University with her sights on a career in medicine. She will graduate from Norfolk Academy. ILLUSTRATION: Photos
Beth Bergman
April Stuart overcame major illness and hopes to become a pediatric
anesthesiologist
Charles Meads
Emmeline Candor Cenizal will study at William and Mary
Martin Smith-Rodden
Dana Willner will enter Washington University in the fall by CNB