Just 10 days after my 21st birthday, after undergoing a surgical biopsy of a lymph node above my collar bone, I was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma. I had also just started my second semester of nursing school.
In July 2016, I started my first ABVD chemo treatment. I only missed seven weeks of nursing school and it is certainly a journey that I know will make me a better nurse.
In October 2016, I was told I was in complete remission and returned back to school the very next day to complete my behavioral health rotation. In November, I completed 10 days of radiation to "clear out the cancer cells".
After several recheck visits, I am doing fantastic and am finally starting to feel back to myself, even with the chemo curls! I now only have five months until I graduate from nursing school. I got engaged, and my fiancé and I are building a house.
My story is a true testament of my faith and strength. I will always remember my very first chemo nurse who gave me some rather helpful tips in which I passed on to people that I've connected with who are going through the same thing that I did. I am attending the Light The Night walk in Charlotte, NC this year and I could not be more excited! I look forward to raising money and being part of such an amazing organization. Let's kick cancer's butt!