​Hello everyone!
I am happy to share that I am currently in my last semester of nursing school! Thanks to the TJ Myrick scholarship, I have been able to focus a little more on wrapping up my final classes/clinical rotations and a little less on the financial aspect of school. Right now I am finishing up my senior practicum rotation on the med/surg/tele floor at Platte Valley Medical Center and am learning so much! I will begin the process of applying for new graduate nursing programs in the next few weeks. I am beyond excited (and nervous) to finally be starting my nursing career and to see this dream of mine become a reality! I am so thankful for the Myrick's kindness and support during this time, as well as all of you for supporting this incredible organization!

With love,
Lyndsey

Happy New Year TJ Myrick Family and Supporters!
It’s Madison, this year’s scholarship winner! I am currently making my way through my first year of nursing school with the grace and support of the Myrick foundation. Receiving this scholarship has been a saving grace for me. Financial responsibilities had always taken the driver seat throughout my college career and since receiving this scholarship, I have had the privilege to push it back and truly focus on my studies. I am happy to report that I finished off my first semester of nursing school with all A’s and made the Dean’s List for Fall 2018! Through my first semester, I was given a plethora of knowledge, life lessons and skills that I will carry with me for the rest of my career. Being in the clinical setting has continued to shed light on why I want to be a nurse and encouraged me to further embody my passion for helping others.
This passion continues to grow stronger every day and has pushed me to step outside of my comfort zone to take on more leadership roles (hopefully more information will come with my next update.  The nursing professionals I am meeting through my clinical rotations never cease to amaze me with their compassion and encouragement. I have never been more driven to be an extraordinary nurse then I am today and that is all thanks to this foundation! I am forever grateful for this remarkable foundation. Your generosity and support is a blessing and I will never be able to say thank you enough.
Nothing but love and blessings to you all!
Madison

Hello Lovely TJ Myrick Fund Supporters! 
     Melissa here! I was the first recipient of the amazing TJ Myrick Scholarship. I was asked to update you all on where I have been since then! When I last saw some of you at the golf tournament, I spoke about how my life has unexpectedly taken me to Texas as my now husband (yay! 😊) has taken a job here. So, if life has taught me anything so far, it’s that my “life plan” is always changing, but that ok and kind of exciting! My plan was to work with veterans in Denver, but as there is no VA hospital where we are now living, I was challenged to find a new way to help veterans. I took my experience from Swedish Medical Center Spine Unit and love of neuroscience, and I was lucky enough to have gotten a job at University Medical Center Neuro Step-down ICCU. I love it here and am challenged with many types of critical patients on a daily basis. I still get to take care of veterans as my patient on occasion and love listening to their stories.
     Currently, I am also half way done with my Master Degree with a focus on Nursing Leadership and Management. I am set to graduate this December! While working in a class last semester, a wonderful opportunity was given to me, we were told to make a project or grant in support of a group we are passionate about. I instantly thought of veterans and was put in touch with an amazing program here in Texas called VetStar. With their help, we established a support group for veterans and their families to openly discuss their struggles with PTSD. I have also been doing small assistive projects to assist the veterans here and there outside of the project and after the class ended. I met some wonderful people there and am so glad I found a way to still care for veterans!
     I am so lucky to have had the opportunities I have had. None of it would have been possible without the TJ Myrick Scholarship or the amazing love and kindness of Steve and Pam Myrick. They have truly built an amazing scholarship fund that has helped so many young nurses realize their dream. Thank you so much for you support to this amazing scholarship! I hope to talk with you again soon!

​Melissa

I have been a Registered Nurse now for 6 months. In the past 6 months, I have gained so much more knowledge than I ever thought working on the Multi-Trauma Unit at Swedish Medical Center. My nerves have finally settled, and I feel confident in my care that I am providing to the patient population. I want to continue learning and improving my care with Evidence-Based Practice, so I can be the most up to date nurse possible with the cares that I am providing. I am looking forward to getting some trauma certifications which include; Trauma Care After Resuscitation (TCAR), Trauma Nursing Core Course (TNCC), and Trauma Certified Registered Nurse (TCRN), Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE). I have my eyes set on so many opportunities that nursing has provided for me that I cannot wait to figure out which path to take. I have interest in going to the ICU and then flight nursing, going to back to school for Forensic Nursing, or going back to school to get my NP in either Critical Care or Family Practice. I am currently trying to still figure out what my next path is. I love learning and being properly equipped with knowledge to perform my best and offer the best care possible for my patients.

​Molly

Reminder!  The TJ Memorial golf tournament is this Saturday!  If you have not registered, please register HERE.  You don’t have to pay until the day of the tournament but please register in advance.  If you want to register and pay you can do that HERE.  Your registration fee goes toward a scholarship for nursing students attending the Loretto Heights School of Nursing at Regis University;  “The TJ Myrick Memorial Endowed Scholarship”.  The deadline for registration is the 7th so please get registered today!

​This scholarship has opened many doors for me. It’s allowed me to pursue one of my dreams, since I was in seventh grade, to become a Nurse! The T.J. Myrick Scholarship continues to give me the chance to forget about my financial worries and truly focus on my studies. I’ve been able to gain confidence in what I’m learning and why I decided to care for the whole person. I want to be able to provide the best care possible to a patient and being a student at Regis University is giving me that opportunity. My passion for learning has been able to continuously grow through the Nursing Program. I couldn’t be more excited for where my future is headed and it is because of the T.J. Myrick Scholarship that I’m able to have this mindset.

​My name is Melissa Howell and I had the honor of being the first ever recipient of the TJ Myrick Scholarship. Since my graduation from Regis University, I successfully passed my board license exam on the first attempt and began working at the Swedish Medical Center in Denver shortly there after. It has been an amazing place to work with many supportive coworkers as I begin to develop my career and nursing practice. In addition to caring for my patients, I have most recently been awarded the position as co-chair for our Unit Based Council where the idea of shared governance allows the nursing staff to make their voices heard on changes in the hospital and share ideas about how we can make our work more efficient and safer, and better the time our patients spend with us. My unit director has also asked me to begin taking students and new nurses to shadow me occasionally during my work due to my affinity for teaching.  I look forward to further growing in my skills and my nursing practice for years to come! I owe my successes in part to the Mr. and Mrs. Myrick and the TJ Myrick Scholarship for helping me turn my dreams into a reality. This scholarship meant so much to me and I know will help so many other bright future nurses in helping their dreams come true as well!

We have finally uploaded the pictures from the tournament.  Please look for them HERE.

Please read about our tournament here!

The causes of most childhood cancers are not known. About 5 percent of all cancers in children are caused by an inherited mutation (a genetic mutation that can be passed from parents to their children).
Most cancers in children, like those in adults, are thought to develop as a result of mutations in genes that lead to uncontrolled cell growth and eventually cancer. In adults, these gene mutations reflect the cumulative effects of aging and long-term exposure to cancer-causing substances. However, identifying potential environmental causes of childhood cancer has been difficult, partly because cancer in children is rare and partly because it is difficult to determine what children might have been exposed to early in their development. More information about possible causes of cancer in children is available in the fact sheet, Cancer in Children and Adolescents.
Information Source: http://www.cancer.gov/types/childhood-cancers