ROCKFORD Ill. — At 19-years-old, Cole Kudrna's life, took a drastic turn, something he never saw coming.

“I was going through college and kind of learning life,” said Kudrna, former wish recipient and now development director for Nik’s Wish.

Eventually I had scratched my neck and I had a small lump there.”

A biopsy initially showed the lump was benign, but as it grew to the size of a mango in his thyroid, he underwent surgery.

“I was diagnosed with papillary carcinoma,” he said.

“I was of the understanding that, you know, it wasn't cancerous. When I read on MyChart at 1 a.m. my cancer diagnosis, that's how I found out. It brought me down to earth. Your world can turn upside down in one day.”

Kudrna isn't the only one. About 80,000 young adults are diagnosed with cancer in the United

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