"I've lived an entire life in the span of two and a half decades. What a gift to have painted the masterpiece of my time on this planet. What a gift to have lived amongst so much color…"

Kasey Altman lived with depth, curiosity, and heart. Growing up in a close-knit family in San Diego, California, she approached life with vibrance, creativity, and determination. As a child, she once used an entire label maker cartridge to create a 25-foot-long story because her imagination could not fit on a single page. She carried that same energy into everything she touched. Kasey believed deeply in authenticity, human connection, and fully experiencing the world around her.

Throughout her life, Kasey consistently chose growth over fear. She earned a collegiate volleyball scholarship before setting off to travel the world solo, completing her senior year online long before remote learning became commonplace. Those experiences shaped her into someone adventurous, independent, and deeply empathetic. After college, she moved to New York City, where she built a vibrant community of friends and excelled professionally in tech sales, ultimately landing her dream job at Google. Whether gathered around a dinner table, exploring a new corner of the world, or sharing meaningful conversations during difficult moments, Kasey made people feel more alive in her presence.

At 24, Kasey was diagnosed with Stage 4 rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive pediatric cancer. Throughout nearly two years of treatment, she chose not only to share her journey publicly, but to transform hardship into purpose. Determined to help others feel less alone and to challenge inequities in pediatric cancer research funding, Kasey became a powerful advocate for hope and change, while also maintaining a no tolerance policy for toxic positivity. She accomplished this through social media, speaking engagements, her podcast The Reroute, her appearance at the Milken Institute Global Conference, Vice Media's documentary on her use of social media for good, and the creation of the Kasey Altman Research Fund. She continues to inspire through her candor, humor, and influential content.