I went to a simple doctor's appointment on October 27, and from that day on, my life flipped upside down. I was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in October of 2021 right before Halloween. I planned to take a gap year after my high school graduation that year, but now I didn’t have a choice. At the beginning of treatment, everything was going well. Although this was all new to me and my mom, who was staying in the hospital with me where I lived for 41 days, I was doing well. I had hope. I had a few setbacks during my stay which caused me to be there longer. But as my hair started to fall out because of my chemotherapy, I started to lose my shine, until one day I had enough and shaved all of my head. It was probably the most freeing experience I've had during this entire journey. As of today, I am almost one full year into my two-year treatment and continuing to push through each obstacle of my diagnosis. In the Spring of 2023, I plan to attend college and study criminal justice, social work, and psychology.
Grace
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)
