Pepperdine Alumni Finds Healing By Volunteering

Kristen Tinsley left the comforts of home in Texas to pursue political science at Pepperdine University. Joining a club on campus was the furthest thing from her mind, until she heard about Pepperdine’s Colleges Against Cancer. Her stepmother, Michelle Tinsley, lost her battle to cancer shortly after Kristen graduated high school. 

“I knew this was something I had to do,” said Kristen. “I was trying so hard to be strong for everyone else in my family, I needed to confront my feelings and everything I had been through.”

Michelle died from stage four-lung cancer in June of 2008. Watching her half brother and sister, who were six and eight years old at the time, during the funeral was one of the hardest things she’s had to experience. She knew she had to be strong for them. It wasn’t until a club meeting at Pepperdine that she finally let herself cry.

“At that point I was fighting for my brother and sister. They have to grow up without a mom. It infuriated me. I don’t want anyone else to go through that pain.”

The club not only helped her heal, it kept her busy. While attending Pepperdine, she helped grow the club by helping organize events including Pepperdine’s Relay For Life for the American Cancer Society. By June 2011, she served as a chairperson for Malibu’s first Relay For Life.

After Michelle’s diagnosis, she was given six months to live. She fought for two and a half years. Though she never smoked a day in her life, she never questioned her situation. When her husband mentioned funeral plans, she dismissed them, hopeful she would recover. Until the end of her life, she fought as hard as she could, said Kristen.

Kristen graduated with two bachelor’s degrees in political science and sociology in 2012. She is still involved with the American Cancer Society on a state and national level.

“Whenever I’m losing sleep for a relay event or too tired to take on another project for the American Cancer Society I think of Michelle,” said Kristen. “If she outlived cancer for as long as she did, who am I to say I can’t handle it? I’m fighting for people who can’t fight for themselves.”

The American Cancer Society’s upcoming events in Malibu, Bark For Life and Lights of Hope are set for next month. Bark For Life takes place Aug. 4 and Lights of Hope takes place Aug. 10.