Katie Weyer was a Division-I college athlete when she was diagnosed with cancer in 2005.

At 21, she began undergoing intense chemotherapy at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, to treat her stage 2B Hodgkin’s lymphoma, commonly known as Hodgkin’s disease, which affects the body’s immune system.

After months of treatment and a relapse, Weyer beat cancer in early 2007. Although she’s been cancer-free for over 15 years, she said she’s never truly felt totally in the clear.

The intense treatment that cured her cancer at a young age also wreaked havoc on her body, causing additional health issues as an adult. As the years have passed, Weyer continues to regularly visit doctors for heart, lung and thyroid conditions and frequent cancer screenings.

Source: As pediatric cancer rates rise and deaths fall, experts call attention to survivors