PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Alexis Rodriguez’s life seemed to be unfolding perfectly. By 26, she was engaged to the love of her life, Jeff, had welcomed an adorable baby girl named Ella, and was starting a demanding three-year nursing program at Chamberlain University in New Jersey.
However, on Aug. 9, 2023, at 28, Rodriguez was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia.
“It’s been very difficult because when I first got diagnosed, I was three classes away,” Rodriguez, now 29, said. “It’s hard juggling everything — everything that the doctors say and what your body is feeling.”
Over the next year, Rodriguez fought cancer while continuing her studies and caring for her daughter. After she went into remission, doctors at Penn Medicine discovered a severe, life-threatening fungal infection…