Survivor to Run 'Crush Cancer Clinic'

Kristen Schindler has long been a role model for young athletes, particularly girls.

At , Schindler was a star pitcher for the 2005 state champion softball team. She holds state records for shutouts (66) and games won (112), and went on to play Division 1 softball at Brown University.

Since graduation, she has been a familiar face around softball circles, coaching local teams for Caldwell-West Caldwell Recreation as well as Verona, running clinics and providing private pitching lessons.

This Saturday, Schindler, 25, hopes to inspire a group of girls with more than her athletic ability at her first ever . 

Schindler, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma when she was 22, believes her experience as a cancer survivor can help change young people’s attitudes about the disease, while encouraging them to live a healthy lifestyle.

The Crush Cancer Clinic will be run by Schindler and fellow JCHS graduate Desi Giordano. It will take place at on Saturday, Jan. 21, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and is open to girls of all ages for a minimum donation of $20, which will be donated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Cash or checks made out to Leukemia and Lymphoma Society can be brought the day of the clinic or mailed to Kristen Schindler at 95 Hatfield St., Caldwell, NJ 07006.

While most of the clinic will focus on softball, Schindler plans to take a few minutes to talk to the girls about her experience with cancer. A representative from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society will also address the young athletes.

The vibrant 25-year-old was giddy this week in anticipation of Saturday’s clinic, which she has been planning since the summer.

“I think it’s an important message for young girls to take care of your body,” she said, adding, “There was a payoff for me.”

That payoff, she said, was the chance to play Division 1 softball at an Ivy League school.

Shortly after her graduation from Brown, she felt a lump on her neck, which led to a series of tests before being diagnosed with cancer. She said unlike the media’s portrayal of a very sick person, she worked through her treatment.

“I was very lucky. I still had my life,” she said.

Schindler hopes when the girls see that a cancer survivor can be someone who is an athlete, who is still vibrant and energetic, it will help change their perceptions about the disease. She hopes ultimately they will remember her positive story when they find themselves dealing with a difficult situation in their own lives.

Schindler said she originally intended to go to graduate school after getting her undergraduate degree. But cancer delayed that plan.

“My time is very important,” she said. “I don’t want to do something I don’t love.”

Follow Kristen Schindler on her blog, CrushCancerblog.blogspot.com.