22-Year-Old Cancer Survivor Heads to NYC Law School

When Natalie rings the bell at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital at age 15, signaling the end of her cancer treatment, she's already dreaming bigger than most teenagers. Now 22, she's about to move to New York City for law school after graduating from the University of Florida.

Natalie was just 11 years old when doctors diagnosed her with T-cell lymphoma, putting her middle school worries on hold. The good news? They caught it early, giving her a high survival rate.

From sixth through ninth grade, Natalie spent months at a time in the hospital receiving chemotherapy. When she could go home, she had to protect her weakened immune system, missing out on normal teenage life with only two friends brave enough to visit.

But her care team at Johns Hopkins became her lifeline. Nurse Mindy Duren was there from Natalie's very first hospital admission and watched her perform magic card tricks even on her hardest days.

Eleven years later, they're still connected. Duren became a nurse practitioner and now sees Natalie at Johns Hopkins' Survivorship Clinic, a specialized program that monitors cancer survivors for years after treatment ends.

The clinic exists because three in four pediatric cancer survivors face at least one lasting health issue from their treatment. For Natalie, that meant recently undergoing hip replacement surgery due to avascular necrosis, likely caused by the steroids that helped save her life.

Why This Inspires

Natalie refuses to see her cancer journey as a setback. "Being a cancer survivor means being the strongest version of yourself, beyond what you think is possible," she says.

She tells new friends about her experience not for sympathy, but for perspective. When people worry about law school being difficult, Natalie reminds herself she's already survived something far harder.

The Survivorship Clinic gives each patient a personalized care plan, monitoring for heart issues, infertility, secondary cancers, and anxiety that can appear years after treatment. By catching these complications early, survivors can still live full, healthy lives.

Duren still remembers receiving Natalie's high school graduation announcement from her family. "With Natalie, the whole room lights up, even on the hardest days," Duren says. "She is so resilient."

This fall, Natalie will walk the streets of New York City without restrictions, fully recovered from her hip surgery and ready to tackle law school at Benjamin Cardozo School of Law.