Nelly, 15, exudes a quiet strength. Her shy smile reveals a determined teenager who chooses to focus on the future.

Like many teens, Nelly finds enjoyment in the simple things: spending time with friends, listening to music (loves the Canadian pop star Tate McRae), or playing volleyball. She also adores horseback riding, spending hours at the stable where she has a soothing relationship with the horses. What she prizes most, however, is time spent with the important people in her life: a family activity, good times over a board game, or just hanging out.

Nelly was 13 when she was diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkin’s lymphoma in the summer of 2024. Thanks to her alert parents, the disease was detected early, and treatments at CHEO were quick to follow. For close to six months, school was replaced by medical appointments and treatment. It was a demanding period that put her resilience to the test.

What Nelly retains most of all are the people who were around her. “You can get through anything with the right people by your side,” she says simply. Her family, friends, and the CHEO medical team were there every step of the way, offering much more than physical care but also a human presence, academic help, and social and emotional support that made all the difference.

Determined to hang onto a measure of normality, Nelly also handled a major hurdle during her treatments. With a cooling technology used on the scalp, and aided by her determination, she was able to keep her thick, gorgeous hair. A detail for appearance’s sake, but one that enabled her to go back to school without the glaring symptom of an illness. Horseback riding, her life’s passion, was also doable during treatment, though in somewhat adapted form.

Nelly is in remission today. She savours time with the people she loves and appreciates life’s little everyday pleasures even more than before. She dreams of taking a trip with her best friend, or of having her own horse. Both dreams are very much like the young women she has become: simple, sincere, and filled with hope.