So far, there hasnвЂ™t been any sign of spread to her surrounding lymph nodes, but the worry is always there. вЂњAs of June 15, I am one year cancer-free.вЂќ Horgan smiles broadly, recounting her blessings since she has become a regular at Hollings Cancer Center.

One year later, though, sheвЂ™s celebrating. вЂњIt was still a scary experience, being 23 years old, moving 12 hours from home and not really knowing what to expect.вЂќ вЂњI knew that my type of cancer had a good prognosis,вЂќ she said. When the results came back a few weeks later, she learned that the lump that had thrown the start of her graduate school career into a tailspin was a thyroid cancer that forms in the follicular cells and fortunately is very treatable. The next day, she woke up and had half of her thyroid, half of her isthmus, which is the part of the thyroid gland that connects the left and right lobes, and the surrounding lymph nodes removed.

Horgan rescheduled her anatomy lab so she could get it done the night before her surgery. вЂњI was like, вЂOh my gosh, I have an anatomy exam in a week.вЂ™вЂќ Bridget Horgan gives a big thumbs-up from her hospital bed. вЂњA week and a half after I met the surgeon, she said we were going to do the surgery,вЂќ Horgan said. Horgan found herself moving to a new city and school as well as finding her way across campus to MUSC Hollings Cancer Center.В Horgan met with surgical oncologist Mahsa Javid, M.D., Ph.D., who suggested she have the lump removed quickly. вЂњAnd my doctor felt a lump in my throat.вЂќ вЂњI went for some doctor's appointments before moving down here just to do like, checkups and get my shots up to date and everything,вЂќ she said. In May 2021, Horgan was checking things off her to-do list before leaving home in New York to start her doctorate program in occupational therapy at the MUSC College of Health Professions. But what you donвЂ™t see on the surface is the grit and determination that got her through her first year of graduate school. At first glance, Bridget Horgan is your typical MUSC student - bright, eager and ready to learn.

Grit cycle