Sarah Burningham: Teen Author: Girl Worth Getting to Know

I consider myself one of the luckiest people in the world because I get to meet some really, really cool teenagers - and 18-year-old Kayte Gyles is one of them.

I met Kayte and her parents when they were in New York last month visiting from British Columbia, Canada. If you met Kaye today, you would be impressed with her sense of humor and boundless energy, that fact that she's a competitive curler, and how much she loves her dog. But what you wouldn't know is that Kayte is also a cancer survivor and she's about to shave her head again, this time to help other people dealing with cancer.

We had so much fun hanging out and Kayte is such an incredible person, that I wanted you all to get to know her, too.

SB: Even though you look great with a shaved head, you didn't do it for a fashion statement (at least not at first!). Tell us why you did it.
KG: Well, I went bald for the first time last year when I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. I was diagnosed twenty days before my seventeenth birthday and my chemotherapy caused me to lose my hair. I actually ended up shaving my head the day after my birthday because I wanted some control over the cancer.

Now, I’m going bald for a second time. It’s been nine months since my last chemotherapy and I have some hair, not a lot. I’m going to be shaving it on April 26th (that's tomorrow!) for a fund raiser called Balding for Dollars. (Donate to support Kayte and her cancer awareness efforts!) It’s an amazing organization that does so many great things! Balding For Dollars helps families who financially struggle with all the extras. They hold teen adventure camps where we can just be ourselves and be comfortable with who we are. They have great camps for the younger children and for their families and they have started a teen support group that meets once a month. I can personally say that its one of the greatest things ever!

SB: It's pretty cool that you're out there raising money and awareness for other people. How else do you keep busy?
KG: Well, when I’m not bugging friends or family to donate, or help out with something cancer related, you can find me either on a curling rink or curled up on my couch with my laptop and my dog, Willow, writing. Sometimes I am out with my camera because I love photography!

SB: What was your first thought after your own cancer diagnosis?
KG: Well, my first thought when they told me that I had cancer was along the lines of, Oh S*#@! But honestly, I wasn’t shocked. I’ve always been a kid who hasn’t been too healthy and there was always a part of me that thought one day I might have cancer, and it turned out, I was right!

SB: How do you think having cancer changed your relationship with your parents?
KG: My parents and I have always been really close, but cancer definitely made us closer. I became a child again and the things that were usually considered pretty easy definitely weren’t for me. My mom had to help me change, shower, and there was a time she even had to help me shave my armpits! Then when my mom wasn’t around my dad would have to help me walk back and forth from the bathroom and any sense of privacy was definitely lost.

SB: Tell us a little about competitive curling. (Kayte's quite an athlete.) How did you first get into it?
KG: I started curling five years ago when my parents told me that they wanted me to do something physical and they thought I would love curling. I personally wanted nothing to do with it! I thought curling was only for nerds and at the time I didn’t want to admit that I truly was a nerd. (SB: For the record, nerds are cool.)

Beginning curling was not a very fun experience for me! I was awful and there were some days that I wanted to quit and I even had a few coaches tell me that I should, but that’s what gave me the drive to do better. By Christmas, I was absolutely in love with the sport and all my presents had something to do with curling.

In these past five years, my team and I have gone to 3 provincial championships and curling is definitely a dream that will never die for me. Curling is my number one passion and I know that one day I will be representing Canada in the Olympics!

SB: Since this is an interview for RaiseYourParents.com do you have any great tips for dealing with parents in general?
KG: Honestly, I’ve never really had problems with my parents. I’m an only child and from the get go we’ve always treated each other with respect. The worst thing I have ever done as a child is get cancer and that wasn’t even my fault. I never gave my parents a reason not to like me and in return my parents have never given me a reason to rebel against them. I think it all comes down to trust and respect and understanding of each other.

SB: You're a senior this year, what are your plans for next year?
KG: I’m taking a semester off to curl competitively and then I’ll be starting school in the New Year and majoring in creative writing at a local college.

SB: If you had to choose what you wanted to do for the rest of your life right this minute, what would you choose and why?
KG: That’s a really great question and I think I’d choose to be a writer. I’ve been telling stories since I was a child and being an author has always been something that I’ve dreamed of. My dream and goal is to be an award-winning author!

SB: Ahhh, you're a writer. Without giving away any specifics, can you tell us if you're writing anything now?
KG: Right now I’m working on a novel about my journey through cancer. It’s to raise awareness about teens and cancer and to also show that cancer isn’t something everyone dies from. Its something that looked at, the right way can be a huge life lesson.

SB: Anything else we should all know about Kayte Gyles?
KG: I’m insanely sarcastic, a total dreamer and my imagination is my best friend.

Want to support Kayte and Balding for Dollars? Donate here!