When Chelsea Mathelier, now 20, was a junior in high school, she noticed a small lump on the side of her neck. She had just recovered from a rough case of COVID-19 and her doctors believed the illness had caused her lymph nodes to stay swollen.
The lumps appeared on and off throughout her junior and senior years. They were always soft and movable, and Chelsea felt otherwise healthy.
“Besides the three swollen lymph nodes, I felt fine,” she says. “I could feel the lumps some days more than others. I didn’t think it was that serious.”
A pain that changed everything
Soon after starting her first year at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Chelsea began feeling sharp shooting pain in her arm.
“It would wake me up,” she says. “The pain would shoot from my armpit to the tip of my finger. I was like, ‘OK, I need to see a doctor. This isn’t normal.’”
She saw an on-campus physician, who recommended a CT scan after feeling lumps in Chelsea’s neck and arm.
“She didn’t want to alarm me and told me there were other conditions this would be besides cancer,” says Chelsea.
Shortly after a scan and blood work, Chelsea got a call that changed her life.
“I was on my way to class,” she says. “They told me my test results showed signs of lymphoma and they wanted me to see an oncologist as soon as possible.”
A life-changing diagnosis
Chelsea met with Dr. Amy Soni, a hematologist and medical oncologist at Atrium Health Levine Cancer.
“I could tell Dr. Soni cared about me right when it all started,” she says.
A biopsy of Chelsea’s arm and a PET scan confirmed she had stage III Hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system that affects the body’s ability to fight infection.
“I had lymphoma under my left arm, on both sides of my neck, behind my lungs, around my heart and in all the lymph nodes in my chest,” she says. “My spleen also lit up on the PET scan, which pushed it to a stage III diagnosis.”
Soni recommended starting treatment immediately. Within just a week and a half, Chelsea had her biopsy, received her diagnosis, had a port placed and began chemotherapy.
“Everything happened lightning fast,” says Chelsea. “It was definitely hard.”
Fighting cancer while starting college
While Chelsea could have taken a leave of absence and returned home to Raleigh for treatment, she felt confident in her care at Levine Cancer and decided to stay in Charlotte.
“Immediately, I could tell that I didn’t want to be treated by anyone else but Dr. Soni and nurse Paige,” she says. “They showed so much empathy.”
Chelsea began chemotherapy in November 2023, undergoing 12 chemotherapy infusions over six months. She received treatments on Fridays, recovered over the weekend and returned to classes during the week. Her parents traveled from Raleigh to be by her side during infusions and her friends supported her between treatments.
“I had a really good support system,” says Chelsea. “My relationship with God, my family and friends, Dr. Soni, and nurse Paige. My parents didn’t miss a single chemo infusion. And my friends took really good care of me when my parents couldn’t be in Charlotte.”
Staying in school helped Chelsea feel like herself, despite her health challenges.
“I’m super glad I kept going to school,” she says. “It helped me continue to be myself because I felt at times that I was losing myself because of changes to my appearance and the fact that my social activities were limited. School helped me stay afloat.”
Soni admired her determination and courage.
“While acclimating to all the challenges of being a new college student — living away from home, making friends and coursework demands — she also had to face cancer and chemotherapy,” says Soni. “Being immunocompromised and experiencing hair loss are challenges that any patient receiving this regimen faces, but it was especially challenging for a young woman starting college.”
Soni and her team worked closely with Chelsea to schedule treatments around her classes and manage side effects such as fatigue, nausea and dizziness.
“We supported her through the side effects she faced, but overall, she handled and tolerated chemotherapy beautifully,” says Soni.
Hope and healing
In February 2024, just a few months into treatment, Chelsea received incredible news: her PET scan was clear. After completing six months of chemotherapy, she was declared in remission in April 2024.
“Chelsea achieved complete remission after six cycles of chemotherapy,” says Soni. “Hodgkin lymphoma has been a curable cancer for decades. Once you’re in remission for five years, you’re considered cured.”
Chelsea says she’ll never forget how supported she felt throughout her journey.
“Everyone at Levine Cancer, from the front desk staff to the oncology nurses to Dr. Soni, took such good care of me,” she says. “When you feel like people care for you, it goes a long way.”
“Her positive attitude is infectious,” adds Soni. “It took a lot of determination to continue coursework at UNC Charlotte while undergoing treatment.”
Looking ahead to the future
Now in remission, Chelsea feels grateful, energized and focused on the future. She’s majoring in sports analytics and dreams of working in professional sports.
“I feel great mentally and physically,” she says. “There were some really hard moments through it all, but I’m doing well in school and really focused on my career path.”
A lifelong sports fan, Chelsea was recently honored as an honorary captain for the Carolina Panthers. She loves watching games, going out to eat, spending time with friends and family, and attending church.
When Chelsea sees other young people with cancer on social media, she reaches out to offer encouragement.
“It feels good to know I can be there for others,” she says. “I understand what they’re going through.”
Chelsea also emphasizes the importance of mental health. She met regularly with a social worker at Levine Cancer and a therapist on campus.
“Don’t be afraid to let people know how you feel,” she says. “It’s important to get better physically and mentally.”
Her advice to others going through a cancer diagnosis: “The best is yet to come. There was a point where I thought my days weren’t going to get better, but I kept going, praying and leaning on people who love me. The days started to get better.”
Today, Chelsea lives with a deep appreciation for life’s moments, big and small.
“I realize how valuable it is to do what’s on your mind,” she says. “Life can flash before your eyes. I used to say, ‘I’ll do it later,’ but now I want to take every opportunity to be with loved ones and friends. Life is short. I was blessed by God with the strength to endure all this and now I’m just focused on living each day to the fullest.”
Learn more about lymphoma care at Levine Cancer.
