Amy Kottmeyer

During the summer of 2012, junior Abby Kottmeyer spent every day in the hospital for two weeks. She was not injured. She was not sick. She was there out of devotion to her grandfather, Ken Hays.

It was during this time when Kottmeyer decided to dedicate herself to becoming a pediatric oncologist – a type of doctor that deals with children’s cancer.

“I’ve always been interested in being a doctor. I could always see myself working in the medical field,” Kottmeyer said. “Science is my favorite subject because it explains every other subject. It is the basis for everything in life,” Kottmeyer said.

Kottmeyer spent each day with her grandfather who was diagnosed with bone cancer while suffering from a shattered spine. While there, she helped him out with small tasks that were troublesome for him, like getting a glass of water.

“I was mostly around just to keep him company. I knew his time was running short and I wanted to be with him as much as possible,” Kottmeyer said.

On June 5, 2012, Hays died.“I knew the day was coming, but I was still devastated when he died,” Kottmeyer said. “I’m thankful I was there with him his last few weeks. My experiences at the hospital were unlike any other. I was so grateful for all of the doctors who supported and took care of him. I really admired them for keeping him so comfortable.”

When visiting her grandfather, Kottmeyer would often talk to the doctors about her aspirations of becoming a doctor. She received advice on how to achieve her goal and was told to work hard and take a lot of science classes.

“The advice on taking science classes really stuck out to me. I made an effort to focus more on that if it would help me get to my goal,” Kottmeyer said.

Kottmeyer has taken AP and Honors Chemistry, AP Physics, Honors Bio and an Independent Study of Organic Chem thus far.

“My favorite class so far has been AP Chemistry because it gives me a lot of opportunities to work in the lab and do experiments on my own,” Kottmeyer said. “I’m excited to take Biochemistry because I’ve already learned about Biology and Chemistry, and next I get to see how they work together.”

She plans on taking AP Biology, Honors Biotechnical Engineering, Medical Science, Human Anatomy, and independent study Biochemistry her senior year.

“I don’t know for sure where I want to go to college. It will definitely be somewhere with a good science and medical program. My goal is to be able to have my medical degree by the age of 26, and specialize afterwards,” Kottmeyer said.

Though primarily influenced by her visits to her grandfather to pursue medicine, Kottmeyer also took an interest in pediatric oncology because of her time spent in a children’s cancer ward. Kottmeyer has a blood disease called Von Willis Brans, causing her to see the same doctor as many of these children.

“If you’ve ever been to a child’s cancer ward, you know there is no one more happy and hopeful than the children there,” Kottmeyer said. “They’re so resilient. They made me realize what I wanted to do with my life, because I don’t think there is anything more rewarding than giving a child a second shot at life.”