Nicole DuPont

Playing in the school yard one day, one of Nicole DuPont’s classmates noticed an unusual bump on the right side of her neck and pointed it out to her. When the 12-year-old showed her parents that night, they immediately scheduled an appointment with her pediatrician. On the day before Nicole’s 13th birthday, she was diagnosed with stage four Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

“I remember crying for hours. Then I said to myself, ‘stop crying. You’ve got to face it. There’s no way of getting around it.’” said Nicole. Nicole’s doctor referred the DuPonts to Children’s Hospital’s Oncology Department and she began her battle against cancer.

“We wanted the best, and Dr. Velez was the best with my type of cancer,” Nicole said, age 21. “Dr. Velez is an empowered woman. That meeting was pretty intense, but we were told it was a very curable cancer. I was given a good chance to beat it,” she said. “Dr. Velez inspired me and made everything comfortable. After my first meeting with her I was ready to kick this thing.”

Nicole underwent an intense three-month chemotherapy session that killed her cancer. In 2008, she will celebrate the 10-year anniversary of her cure.
“I wouldn’t be the person that I am today had I not had cancer,” she said. “I don’t take anything for granted. I’m thankful for the little things and thank God for everything – an A on a test or no spiders in the trees when I ride my horse, Honey.”

Nicole just finished her first year at the Louisiana State University School of Nursing. She wants to go into pediatric oncology.
“I want to pay back my dues,” she said. “I love it. I want to help people. I don’t want to do anything else.”

Children’s Hospital is a non-profit organization; in its 53 year history Children’s has never turned away a child in need.
For more information visit chnola.org