Alyssa’s Story

Alyssa Currence just graduated high school, like many people this time of year. But few teens have gone through the senior year Alyssa has. The doctor had last Fall reluctantly told Alyssa and her mom Carolyn that he thought Alyssa might have Hodgkin’s disease, otherwise known as Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system. "I was brokenhearted to have to tell her … ‘I know what you expect your senior year to be, but it’s not going to be that way. Let’s replace your senior year with cancer treatment,’" the doctor recalled. "It was disappointing to have to tell her that on the first day of her senior year, not because I thought she wasn’t going to make it," he said. "I was just sad that she was going to have to go through it." Alyssa and Carolyn looked at one another with disbelief and confusion. Cancer? How could Alyssa have cancer?



Alyssa's treatment would include 12 chemo sessions, and with those came the side effects: lost hair, nausea and vomiting. Yet through it all, Alyssa kep studying and practicing for the school musical. Even cancer wouldn't get her down.



After a senior year filled with uncertainty and discomfort, Alyssa received her diploma, and now she's preparing for a new stage in life.



You can read the entire three-part story on Alyssa's journey written wonderfully by Jenny Jones in the Daily News-Record. Used with permission of Ms. Jones.