There are a lot of scary childhood illnesses, but cancer is one of the worst. Any parent who has ever had their child diagnosed with this nasty disease knows the fear and dread that accompanies it. Advances in medicine have helped improve the survival rate of children with cancer, but many of them still don’t make it.
Bridget Kelley was diagnosed with cancer when she was only 8 years old.
She had always loved school, so when she found out she had to stay at the hospital overnight, she was upset. When she found out that stay was going to be much longer, she was even more upset.
What started out as a sore throat turned into a fight for her life. At the end of her second-grade year, Bridge was sent to the doctor, so she could have her enlarged tonsils checked. Although her parents hoped it was just something simple that could be treated with a couple doses of medicine turned out to acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
She spent the next 15 months in a hospital in isolation to avoid germs and illnesses.
She was receiving chemotherapy, and her immune system was so low that she could easily catch something else if exposed to it. Another illness on top of the cancer would have been too much for her little body to handle and could have been disastrous.
She also had to undergo several surgeries and a stem cell implant from her younger sister.
There were times when doctors and her parents weren’t sure what the future held for Bridget, but she was a fighter. She had a great support system behind her, as well.
The community was devastated to find out about Bridget’s cancer, and people did their best to help the family. They brought them meals and raised money to help with medical costs and transportation to and from the hospital where Bridget was staying.
Bridget missed school and her friends and longed to have some social interaction.
While her parents couldn’t bring her to school, they did do their best to help her keep up with her schoolwork. They collected her assignments and made sure she got them done on time. They wanted her to feel as normal as possible and wanted her to know that she was going to be attending school again. This gave her something to do and to look forward to.
Bridget managed to beat cancer and was able to start school in January.
Her friends and teachers were ecstatic to see her, and she was so thankful to be back. A friend of the family helped organize a big welcome back party, and more than 100 people showed up with signs and pictures for the girl.
Kristin Healy, one of the people who helped organize the celebration, said:
“It’s not a regular old day. There’s a chance Bridget could have lost her battle, and she didn’t.”
The celebration added to the excitement and happiness that the family was already experiencing.
Returning to school was all Bridget wanted, and her family was so happy that she got to do it.
“The community and the PTO and the school has been so supportive along the way, they’ve been really helpful, so this is really nice. It’s heartwarming,” said her mom, Megan.
Bridget is enjoying being back in school. Since she was able to do a lot of her work while she was sick, she isn’t too far behind the rest of the class. Her teachers and friends are glad to have her back, as well.
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