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I was about halfway through my cancer treatment for soft tissue sarcoma of the nasal cavity ¡ª a type of nasopharyngeal cancer ¡ªwhen I decided to get a tattoo. The tumor in my head was shrinking, and my prognosis was looking really good. I wanted to do something to memorialize the experience once I got past it.

At first, I thought I¡¯d get a rainbow in front of a storm cloud, because in nature, you can¡¯t really have one without the other. But then, I saw a friend¡¯s tattoo of Roman numerals running along her arm. And I realized that I wanted one like that, too, only with the day I was officially declared in remission: Sept. 13, 2019. I added MD Anderson¡¯s cancer strikethrough logo to make it even cooler.

My nasopharyngeal cancer diagnosis and treatment

I was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer in February 2019, after a couple of horrendous nosebleeds prompted my parents to take me to the emergency room. I was only 17 at the time, so the diagnosis hit me pretty hard.

I spent essentially the entire second half of my senior year, the summer after I graduated, and my first semester of college in the hospital. I needed seven rounds of chemotherapy, plus 36 treatments of proton therapy to shrink the grapefruit-size tumor in my head. So, I didn¡¯t get to do all the fun things that kids normally look forward to during that time, like prom and senior skip day.

But the people I met at MD Anderson did their best to make my life easier. They kept me as comfortable as possible and worked around my class schedule whenever they could, so I could graduate on time and at least take part in that ceremony.

One inspiration for my tattoo design: MD Anderson¡¯s people

One reason I chose the tattoo design I did was because the doctors and nurses at MD Anderson are some of my favorite people on Earth. I don¡¯t think there are enough kind words to describe them. Even when I knew I¡¯d be feeling really crappy for the rest of the week due to side effects, just knowing I¡¯d get to be around such awesome people always cheered me up.

Being at MD Anderson Children¡¯s Cancer Hospital was also a plus, because there was always something fun to do, whether it was watching a movie, shooting pool at Kim¡¯s Place, or taking part in some other activity scheduled for young patients.

Another reason to memorialize my experience: I¡¯m better off today

Another reason I chose the tattoo design I did was that I honestly think my life has changed for the better as a result of my treatment at MD Anderson.

I may be infertile, and I still struggle today with chemobrain. My eyebrows may never make a comeback either, and I may never fully regain my sense of taste or smell. But I¡¯m still much happier than I was before my diagnosis.

For one thing, I¡¯m cancer-free now, more than two years after finishing my treatments. And that¡¯s the most important thing!

But I always knew that if I ever had kids, they were going to be adopted. So, I wasn¡¯t concerned at all that I might not be able to have them naturally. I was given the choice to have my eggs frozen before starting treatment, but declined. I don¡¯t need biological children when there are far too many here already who need a loving home.

I¡¯ve also changed my focus in college to the study of forensic science. And from what I understand, not everything I¡¯ll be working with in that field will have ¡­ shall we say, the greatest odor, so I look at my sensory issues as being kind of a mixed blessing. I may not be able to smell yummy food cooking anymore, or blooming flowers or scented candles. And my ability to taste things may come and go, depending on what I¡¯m eating. But in the end, it¡¯s not the worst thing in the world.

I¡¯m still someone who¡¯s ready to embrace new opportunities, and who tries to see things in a positive light. And I¡¯d much rather have no eyebrows, a poor sense of taste, and almost no sense of smell than the nasopharyngeal cancer that might¡¯ve killed me. That¡¯s the main reason I finally got the tattoo a few months ago. Because I survived. And I owe it to everyone at MD Anderson that I¡¯m still here ¡ª and healthy ¡ª today.

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