Inspirational Stories

My name is Nicole, and I am a 21-year-old cancer survivor! Last year, on February 1st, I started to go for chemotherapy after being misdiagnosed for TWO years! For those two years, I was told that the softball-sized lymph nodes in my neck were all because of allergies… I knew something was wrong when it became the size it did, and being vain was going around it.

I went to Astera Cancer Center in East Brunswick, NJ, for my 6 months of chemo. Even though I only went there to get chemicals pumped, I loved everyone around me. They didn’t just treat me as a number. Instead, they treated me like real people, ensuring I was okay! I was told I was cancer-free just two months into chemo! I was also told this excellent news three days before my 21st birthday! Before I knew it, August 1st came, and that was my last day of chemo! Now, it’s been one year of being cancer-free and chemo-free!

Last year, after finishing my treatment, I found out about LLS. Of course, I wanted to be involved in it and give back as much as possible. I attended my first Light The Night (LTN) that October and fell in love with how this cancer society ran things. I remember watching the honored hero speak, and I thought, “I hope one day that can be me.”

Well.. let me tell you.. the power social media has is crazy!!! All because I posted a picture from the event last year, made my name known, and got me to be the 2023 Honored Hero of Long Branch, NJ!!! I never felt so proud of myself before! I knew since day one of my cancer journey I was meant to go through it for a reason, and I believe that reason is to be involved in the cancer society and, hopefully, one day do what LLS does for people now.