It's been a tough battle, but one Boulder City woman has managed to beat cancer, all along not letting it get in the way of her ultimate dream of becoming a school teacher.
An instructional assistant at Martha P. King Elementary School in Boulder City, Julie Hammond is helping set up for the first day of school. Julie's dream is to one day have her very own classroom
"I feel like I can touch someone's life; that's what I want to do. I know it's what I'm meant to do," she said.
Her dream of becoming a teacher was almost sidelined after she was diagnosed with stage three non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in March of 2006.
"You go through the regular chemo treatment every three weeks. I would go two days, two separate treatments and you have all the side effects with cancer - you lose your hair," said Julie.
Family, friends and students showed their love and support by holding a fundraiser called "Hearts for Hammond." They raised thousands of dollars for Julie, money which came in handy since she couldn't work for several months.
"With non-Hodgkin's, it effects your immune system, so I was susceptible to all the germs that little kids can give you," she said.
Devastated she couldn't be doing what she loved, she made sure not to let the cancer win, so while receiving treatment, she continued to pursue her degree in education at Regis University.
"I just got the right attitude that I was just gonna keep on going. If there were a few classes I had to miss, it would be okay," said Julie.
Julie hopes to graduate in December and start teaching full time next year. In the meantime, she hopes her story inspires others to follow their dreams.
"Having cancer, your attitude is about 99 percent of it. If you have a dream or a goal, [don't] give up. I can be a perfect example. Don't give up, keep on trying - you're going to have speed bumps along the way, [but] anybody can do it," said Julie.
Julie also has plans to get her Masters in Education. Besides becoming a teacher, she also hopes to help kids battling cancer.
Source: kvbc.com