The One Step Camp for kids with cancer revived her spirit and helped save her life when she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at age 13, says Colleen McGrath. Now 27 and diagnosed with colon cancer, the Bartlett native says she loves her job with Children's Oncology Services, the charity that runs the camp and other programs for kids with cancer.

Mark Welsh | Staff Photographer

Talking about good times with her parents, who both died of cancer while she was a teenager, brings tears to Colleen McGrath. A survivor of cancer at 13 and fighting the disease again at age 27, the Bartlett native says "most kids have a lifetime with their parents, and they'll never get as much as I got from my mom and dad."

Mark Welsh | Staff Photographer

During Christmas of 1996 in Bartlett, parents Michael and Ellen McCarthy, son Michael, daughter Mary Eileen and the youngest Colleen had no clue that cancer would soon kill both parents and nearly kill Colleen.

Courtesy of McGrath family

When she was a kid with cancer, Bartlett native Colleen McGrath credited the One Step Camp with reviving her spirit. She's spent every year since as a counselor, volunteer and fundraiser helping the Children's Oncology Services charity perform that same good deed for other kids.

Courtesy of Colleen McGrath

Having beaten pancreatic cancer at 13, Colleen McGrath keeps a positive attitude as she fights a new bout with colon cancer at age 27. As development coordinator for the Children's Oncology Services charity, the Bartlett native oversees teams of runners and other volunteers who raise money that allows kids with cancer to enjoy special One Step Programs that include summer and winter camps in Wisconsin.

Mark Welsh | Staff Photographer

Ready to surrender after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at age 13, Bartlett native Colleen McGrath, shown here with her dog Maggie, says a special camp revived her spirit and still inspires her at age 27 to help a new generation of kids with cancer.

Courtesy of McGrath Family