Last semester, sophomore MeKalya Gist was being treated for tendinitis.

Physical therapy wasn’t alleviating her symptoms, so Gist’s mom decided to take her to another doctor who ordered an MRI. The MRI revealed a tumor, which led to a biopsy.

What the biopsy showed was more serious than tendinitis:

Osteosarcoma. Cancer in the bones

She immediately started chemotherapy, though the treatment caused her physical distress.

“The chemo is very sickening,” she said. “You feel full and nauseous, and it’s also very tiring.”

With chemotherapy came hair loss.

Gist said that it was a very challenging and emotional time.

“I remember when I started losing my hair I was sitting in the couch with a mirror crying while pulling my hair out,” she said. “Then my brother walked through the front door and came straight over to me and gave me a shoulder to cry on.”

After having her first six regiments of chemotherapy, the doctors decided that their best option was to remove the tumor from her leg.

Unfortunately, that would be more challenging than it sounded. The tumor was not only on her bone but also in contact with a joint, which meant that her leg would have to be amputated from slightly above the knee.

Post-surgery, Gist has learned to lean on those closest to her, particularly her mother.

“Whenever I cry for whatever reason, she is always there to hug me and give me a shoulder to cry on,” she said. “Since I can’t get around too well, she literally does everything for me 24/7.”

Gist’s illness has changed her family’s dynamic.

“It has brought us together,” she said. “My mom and dad are divorced and they weren’t on good terms. When I got cancer, they put all of their differences aside to take care of me.”

Gist has also received support from her Chapman peers. In addition to visits, thoughts and prayers, the yearbook staff organized and sold T-shirts that say, “I Walk for MeKayla.”

“I appreciate all of the love and the support I have gotten from the school,” Gist said. “There’s no way to describe how it feels to have so much support from all my peers. I cry all the time whenever I think of the people who support me because I just feel so loved.”

Gist has no plans to give up this fight, though she recognizes the challenges the disease brings. Still, she knows how to maintain a positive attitude through it all.

“Cancer is really tough,” she said. “It’s constant doctors visits and staying in the hospital for days. What really matters is that you push through it and keep a smile on your face and don’t let it bring you down because the sun will shine again.”