Adam Bolline, an 18-year-old freshman at Texas A&M in Galveston, has faced a battle few could imagine: a melanoma diagnosis in January 2024. Growing up in the neighborhood of the Villages of Indian Lakes, where he cherishes the freedom to “pretty much do whatever we want,” Adam’s world shifted when his mom, Lindsey Bolline, noticed a mole on his neck. His aunt, a dermatologist, removed it, and tests confirmed cancer. What followed was a whirlwind of immunotherapy, intense radiation, and surgeries. A tumor at the base of his skull was found by a doctor’s touch, not scans, leading to a surgery on February 26. By September, two more tumors appeared deep in his neck, requiring a major December 6 surgery that removed them, lymph nodes, and part of his salivary gland, damaging his spinal accessory nerve. This left his shoulder paralyzed and his neck numb. At his lowest, unable to move without pulling himself up by the bedframe, Adam leaned on his faith. “I had to rely on God,” he says. “I switched my mindset from ‘why is this happening to me?’ to ‘how can I grow through this?’”

A varsity football player at College Station High School, Adam found strength in his team—his “brothers”—and his coach, Gregg Frashure, who had a huge impact on his highschool football senior season as well as his dad. “My father is the type of man I want to become,” Adam shares, inspired by his father’s example of providing for family and persevering through hardship.  Despite his neck still healing, Adam refused special treatment. “I didn’t want to be seen as different,” he says. He played every game of his senior season, even after grueling infusions and scans, fueled by the bond forged through football’s trials and the support of his community. “Football gave me purpose,” he explains, recalling how his team’s encouragement and his faith carried him through.

Inspired by the kids he met in the pediatric ward, Adam started Adam’s Army Foundation to help families fighting cancer. “I don’t want them to feel alone like I did,” he says. From throwing the first pitch at a school fundraiser to speaking at a team dinner, Adam grew from shying away from his story to sharing it boldly, praying with families and offering hope. “I want people to remember me for living like Jesus and shining the light of Christ through how I live,” he declares.

Now studying construction science at Texas A&M, a passion tied to his family’s legacy, Adam’s plans to join the military were halted by his diagnosis. “That was tough,” he admits, but he trusts God’s plan. His latest scans are clear, and as he continues targeted therapy for a rare genetic mutation, Adam remains focused on giving back. “Keep your head down and keep going while relying on God for strength,” he advises young people. His father, coach, and youth pastor were pillars of support, checking on him daily and praying over him, reinforcing his belief that “God’s faithfulness” shines through every trial.