“It was on Jan. 26, 2017, and I was actually going to my pitching coach. I couldn’t finish my workout, and my pitching coach… he called my parents and said, ‘Mallory has to get to the doctor right away,'” she said.

The results of the bloodwork her doctor had ordered showed that Mallory’s hemoglobin was down to five. Typically, it should be at 12.

“When I got to Geisinger in Danville, they immediately gave me a blood transfusion. Then I met Dr. Miller, who was one of the oncologists, and she kind of gave me clarity right away. She told me that the possibilities could be mono or leukemia, and then once the bone marrow biopsy was done, that helped determine my diagnosis,” Mallory said.

“Later that day, she told me what my treatment regimen was going to be, when she told me that it was lymphoblastic leukemia. So it all happened really quick, and I couldn’t thank the nurses and doctors and everyone else at Geisinger (enough) for getting everything started immediately,” she said.

What followed that initial diagnosis was two and a half years of treatment. During that time she was a high school senior at Minersville Area Junior/Senior High School.

“For the first two weeks, I was an inpatient receiving care. It was my senior year of high school, so once I got home, I didn’t want to miss school, but unfortunately, I had to miss school because there were numerous times where my counts and levels and blood work weren’t the greatest,”so she said.

“I was actually attending school online. They had a little iPad robot that went around to different classes for me my senior year, so I was able to attend classes when I felt up to it, and then I also had different teachers come to the house to help me with anything that I needed help with, because I was in and out of the clinic almost, I’d say, about sometimes three times a week or every day I was getting some sort of chemo, whether it be an outpatient or some weeks I was an inpatient, getting high dose chemotherapy. It just all depended on what session of chemo I was in during that time period. But for two and a half years, I underwent this different treatment regimen of chemotherapy.”

Mallory finished treatment on June 18, 2019.

“I had 845 days of treatment, 23 spinal taps and 11 different hospital stays before I rang the bell,” she said.

Patients with cancer literally ring a bell to signal the completion of their treatment.

Throughout her treatment, Mallory had the support of her parents.

“It was pretty tough for them,” she said.

“I remember my mom actually stayed with me at the hospital whenever I was hospitalized, so I know, she’s been through everything that I’ve been through, and my dad was trying to work night shift and then come up to see me in the hospital or take me to appointments during the day. So it wasn’t only emotionally taxing on them, but I’m sure it was physically taxing on them. And I know the times that I fell down, they fell down, too. But they would try to stay positive and keep me up, just because I needed that support. So although it was hard for them, they were really supportive. I couldn’t really ask for better people to help me through this difficult time,” Mallory said.

It’s been five years since her last treatment, which is the milestone that marks being cured.

“Actually, this past June, I hit the five year mark after treatment. So five years since I finished treatment, five years clear of everything so far, so good,” she said.

Although she was older when she was diagnosed, the type of cancer she had is usually typical of younger children and she noted that they might not be totally aware of what is happening in their bodies. Mallory offered some words of encouragement for others who are just beginning their cancer journey.

“I would just say that you are not alone. Everyone, including family, friends, nurses, doctors, your community, they’re here to support you through it. It’s okay to feel sad, angry or worried. Just make sure you can ask questions and let others know how you’re feeling. It may not always be easy, but you are brave and you’re strong enough to get through whatever is in your way,” she said.

“And then I just also have a couple pieces that I always remembered facing any battle on their own, is to advocate for yourself because your voice matters; harness your inner strength and fight with unwavering determination, because victory is within reach, and again, embrace the support of your loved ones and community, because accepting help is not a sign of weakness, it’s the cornerstone of triumph. And I ended with, ‘Remember, it takes an army to win the battle.’ So there are three things that I really went by getting advice from others, or just knowing that I needed people by my side through everything that I was going through,” Mallory said.

Now that she’s on the other side of her treatment, Mallory only has to have blood work done once a year.

She also has her heart function tested because some of the chemo drugs she was given can have long term effects on the heart.

Because of her experience, Mallory is now pursuing a career where she can help others facing the same thing.

“Actually, I worked as an X-ray tech after high school and college, and then I went back to school for radiation therapy. So radiation therapy, I only treat cancer with radiation, not chemotherapy, which I never got radiation,” she said.

“But I would say that I really always wanted to be that compassionate voice and the presence that any patient can lean on in health care … An ear to listen, and laughter to lighten the burden of their treatment. I personally love radiation therapy because we spend sometimes six weeks with the patient, and I can be there with them, treating them, but I can also be that ear to listen or that shoulder to cry on, or just somebody to laugh with and try to make their day better,” she said.