The waning months of the last year of high school are supposed to be about making the most of the time you have left before embarking on a new journey in the fall.
But for one St. Vincent-St. Mary senior, her world was turned upside down when a mass found in her left foot was diagnosed as Ewing's sarcoma earlier this year . The cancer eventually spread to two spots on her lung, and she began chemotherapy at Cleveland Clinic in February.
#AlexStrong: St. Vincent-St. Mary rallying around cheerleader battling Ewing sarcoma, a rare cancer
Now months later, Alexandria "Alex" Palmer, has reached a milestone in her cancer journey, ringing the Bravery Bell at Cleveland Clinic on Monday as she and her family were surrounded by supporters.
"My heart was racing. I didn't know what to expect, but there was just so much support, so many people," Palmer told Beacon Journal partner News 5 Cleveland . "It was the best feeling ever. I've been waiting for this feeling since January."
Palmer had nine rounds of chemotherapy, including 31 consecutive radiation treatments five days a week. She shares her cancer journey with her nearly 8,000 TikTok followers, chronicling what life is like with Ewing's sarcoma.
"She was going to be in intensive chemotherapy until July," said Alex's mother Regina Palmer in a phone interview with the Beacon Journal on Thursday. "She will now begin her maintenance program where they will do minor chemotherapy for future prevention. It will last until next year and they will be basically looking for micro cancer spots that might have been missed."
@alexpalmerrr After fighting so beyond hard for my life these past seven months, I am so blessed to say I have finished my treatment and will be entering remission. God has held my hand this entire year giving me signs that I will be okay and will make it out of the hardest moment I’ve ever had to go through, hearing “you have cancer.” So much trauma and tears have brought me to be the strongest version of myself I have ever met and I know that this was so meant to happen to me. The biggest eye opening moment made me realize that life can be taken away in one split second. Never take any moment for granted. Life is beautiful. I love you all and wouldn’t be on earth without your support and love towards me in the darkest year of my life. I survived.🎗️ #cancer #survivor #bellringing #cancersucks #remission #ewingsarcoma #cancerfree #isurvived ♬ original sound - Noah Kahan
Scary setback won't stop Alex Palmer from moving forward
During Alex's cancer journey, she's also been preparing to begin life as a college student at Ohio State University. While in a Columbus restaurant meeting her future roommate a few weeks ago, she fell off her chair and suffered a seizure, News 5 reported.
After she was hospitalized, doctors discovered a tumor on her brain.
"She was scheduled to ring the bell that day since she was finishing her treatment," Regina said. "She was taken to the Ohio State medical center when they found the tumor. They told us that it was nothing to worry about and within five days it would be gone."
A week after the incident, Alex had a form of computer-guided radiation therapy called Gamma Knife surgery, New 5 reported. She is waiting for scans to determine any next steps, but her prognosis is good, and she is feeling optimistic.
"She is doing great," Regina told the Beacon Journal. "She is currently on a senior trip before everyone leaves for college. She is going at full speed and says that she is not letting this minor setback stop her."
Beacon Journal partner News 5 Cleveland contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: STVM cheerleader with rare cancer reaches milestone during treatment journey
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