One six-letter word can change a person’s life. Sophomore psychology major Kayla Shore was told she had that six-letter word her sophomore year of high school: cancer.

In high school, Shore played soccer, made friends and kept her family close. But during her sophomore year, she had swollen lymph nodes that would not go away with antibiotics. Shore said she underwent a biopsy that led to her diagnosis with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Shore had to complete the rest of her sophomore year classes online while undergoing chemotherapy and radiation.

“I missed out on a lot of high school things,” Shore said. 

She could not attend prom with her friends or play soccer, so she leaned on her family during this time. Shore said her younger brother took her diagnosis pretty hard, but her mother was strong. 

“If it did affect her, she pretty much hid it away,” Shore said. 

When she recovered, Shore said she returned to high school for her junior year and felt like she had a spotlight on her. She said she could not do as much as she could before, and wore a wig until her hair grew out. 

“I just felt like everyone was always looking at me,” Shore said.

But, she said cancer is not something she wants to dwell on, even though it still impacts her four years later as a sophomore psychology major.

“I find it interesting learning about why people do the things they do,” Shore said. 

Shore said she is particularly interested in working with children. 

“In the hospital, I saw a lot of sick kids, so I have thought about working with them,” Shore said. 

She said she hopes to use her experience with cancer to help other children going through a similar situation.