Gracey Smith is not your average 21-year-old lady angler. Her dedication to fishing and the marine environment result from hardships she was forced to overcome.
Diagnosed with high-risk hypodiploid leukemia when she was just 15 years old, this Jacksonville girl spent time in the intensive care unit and underwent a double stem cell transplant at the tender age of 16. She was forced to have a hip replacement at 19. Cancer put an end to the sports, and softball in particular, which were the passion of her life.
“Through all the struggle and pain, I fought for my life,” she wrote in an email that included multiple photos of impressive fish she has caught over the years. “I couldn’t die! I wanted to do so much more.”
The new passion she found was for fishing. While the other sports she loves would cause her terrible pain, she can still fish.
“I pushed myself to be more active and to get healthier,” she wrote. “I challenged myself with catching bigger fish. When I’m not out tagging sharks for NOAA, I’m offshore or on a pier just having fun. I just want everyone to know that anything you put your mind to is possible. Don’t give up. It may be difficult at times but it gets better!”
Smith spent a summer in Colorado doing conservation work and a month in Puerto Rico during the hurricane relief effort last year. She is currently working with FEMA in hurricane relief, and looks forward to enrolling in Florida State College at Jacksonville in the spring. Her goal is to become a marine biologist working to save marine life.
Smith is celebrating five years cancer free!