This graduation story deserves all the love!!
Makayla Nelson, an 18-year-old from Tyler, Texas, recently graduated from Tyler High School after surviving cancer four times since childhood.
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Her journey began in sixth grade, when a hospital visit for stomach pain led to a kidney cancer diagnosis and the removal of her left kidney. Over the years, cancer returned in her lungs and brain, leading to surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and stem cell transplants.
Even now, Makayla is still facing treatment after being diagnosed again with a brain tumor in April 2026. But she’s holding on to faith, family, and purpose as she keeps moving forward.
“I’ve had cancer, but cancer is not me,” she said. “God has me here for a reason.”, Makayla told CBS.
Now, Makayla plans to attend UT Tyler to study pediatric oncology nursing, hoping to help children facing battles like the one she knows so well.
Congratulations, Makayla!
