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California Teen Tearfully Rings Bell After Finishing Cancer Treatment

California resident Kate Guerrero cried tears of joy as she rang the bell at the Loma Linda University Medical Center after finishing treatment for cancer. The 16-year-old celebrated the moment with her family and hospital staff on February 12.

Guerrero was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s B-Cell Lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system, after she was first wrongly diagnozed with sciatica, she said.

“I had leg pain for over a year. I did four x-rays and they never found anything,” said Guerrero. “I would cry from pain, some days I could not walk. My leg got skinner than the other.”

After the diagnosis, Guerrero began chemotherapy and shortly thereafter lost her hair. She said the treatment left her debilitated and some days she could not get out of bed and needed help for everything she did.

“I had an amazing support system the entire way. My mom, my family, friends were always by my side. My nurses, they made the biggest impact. I had the best nurses, they made every day easier,” said Guerrero.

Guerrero told Storyful she felt it was important to remain positive throughout the process. She also felt that everything happened for a reason and good things came from the bad situation.

“I know I’m blessed because there’s so many other kids in worse situations. I’m grateful because a lot of good things came from it,” said Guerrero. “I feel like the most important thing was wanting to be okay. I didn’t want to let cancer win.” Credit: Kate Guerrero via Storyful