The 2024 First Shot to Fight Cancer was taken by Cecelia Jalloh of Columbus, Ohio.
In the summer of 2021, 15-year-old Cecelia noticed an abnormal amount of aching in her body while lying down. When it continued to worsen, she informed her mom, Tonia, of the pain. They decided to give it time, believing the pain would subside. Over the next couple of days, Cecelia noticed the pain would seemingly dissipate just to flare up again. When it became clear her condition was not improving, Cecelia and Tonia went to their local urgent care. Unfortunately, the urgent care could not locate a source of the pain and sent them home.
Two days later, Cecelia worsened significantly when she began vomiting blood. Rushed to Nationwide Children's Hospital, she immediately underwent testing and an answer for her symptoms was discovered. Cecelia was diagnosed with acute leukemia. She was about to begin her sophomore year of high school.
“As a mom, hearing this was the worst possible thing I could imagine,” recalls Tonia. Cecelia and her parents were informed that her treatment plan would include immediately beginning chemotherapy.
Over the course of her treatment, Cecelia endured many surgeries as part of her treatment plan. “We felt supported in every way while going through this life altering time,” Tonia shared. “The staff kept us calm and were supportive in every way throughout the process.”
Cecelia, now 18, is in remission. She recently graduated from Groveport Madison High School and plans to further her education and has recently started at Columbus State with hopes of obtaining a nursing degree.
