AKRON, Ohio — Alex Palmer's story captured the hearts of her community and beyond last winter. Six months after her shocking cancer diagnosis, the 18-year-old graduate of Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary High School has reached a major milestone in her battle.
Wearing a pink crown and survivor sash, the teen was greeted by a sea of support on Monday afternoon at Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital.
"My heart was racing. I didn't know what to expect, but there was just so much support, so many people," Palmer said.
During some very emotional moments, the crowd cheered as Palmer rang the Bravery Bell.
"It was the best feeling ever. I've been waiting for this feeling since January," she told News 5.
A plaque by the bell reads, "By ringing this bell, we acknowledge an important step in your treatment journey. Let its sound remind you of your strength, perseverance and accomplishments."
In January, the world of the energetic senior and cheerleader at STVM was turned upside down after a mass in her foot led to a diagnosis of a rare cancer— a variant of Ewing sarcoma.
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The cancer also spread to two spots on a lung. She had nine rounds of chemotherapy, four of which she described as "extremely harsh." She lost all of her hair, and her treatments were just beginning.
"I had 31 consecutive radiation treatments five days a week," she said.
Palmer has publicly shared moments of her cancer battle on her TikTok channel, which has nearly 8,000 followers.
In one video titled "My Cancer Story," she talks to her followers without a wig on.
"This is what I actually look like with no makeup, no wig, nothing."
While fighting cancer, Palmer has also been preparing for another milestone in her life. She was accepted to Ohio State University and is ready to start college life in the fall.
However, two weeks ago, she suffered a scary setback.
Palmer suffered a seizure at a restaurant in Columbus while meeting her roommate from Maryland for the first time.
"I fell off a chair and had a seizure right next to my roommate who I had just met 30 minutes prior," she said.
Palmer was taken to a Columbus hospital, where doctors discovered a tumor on her brain.
A week later, she had Gamma Knife surgery, a computer-guided form of radiation therapy.
While Palmer is still waiting for additional scans to determine clearance, the teen is optimistic.
"They said the procedure went great and everything is looking okay."
Her mother, Regina Palmer, also feels good about all of the progress over the past six months.
"As far as we're concerned, every known tumor in her body, or any type of cancer in her body, has been treated," Regina Palmer said.
Loved ones are also amazed by the teen's remarkable courage.
"One of the things I've learned about her through this is how incredibly resilient she is. She bounces back like you would not believe," Regina Palmer said.
Throughout her journey, Alex has received a ton of emotional support from family, friends and community members. There was also an outpouring of financial support through a GoFundMe page.
"I don't even know if I would be here today without more than half of these people if they didn't help," she said.
She's looking forward to OSU and is interested in studying marketing and broadcast journalism.
As she continues her fight to beat cancer once and for all, Alex wants to send a message about not taking life for granted.
"In one split-second, your whole life can change, and that is exactly what happened to me this year."
