Alayna
I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Stage 2 in September 2021 when I was just 17 years old. My doctor informed me about Paxman and scalp cooling when I was diagnosed and I decided to give it a go.
Alayna - 17 years at diagnosis
Location: New Jersey, USA
Cancer Type: Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Chemo Regimen: ABVD
My Story
In September 2021, at just 17 years old, I began my senior year of high school with news no teenager should ever hear: “You have cancer.”
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During my first battle, I became the first pediatric patient at Memorial Sloan Kettering to use the cold cap—a device that helps preserve hair during chemotherapy. For me, it wasn’t about vanity. It was about identity. Keeping my hair meant I could still look in the mirror and recognize myself, even as cancer tried to take everything else. Soon, other young patients started asking how I kept my hair, and I realized this option needed to be accessible. That’s when the Alayna Jayne Foundation was born, co-founded with my mom.
On February 22, 2022, I was declared cancer-free. I graduated high school with honors and began nursing school at Monmouth University, inspired to give back to the medical field that had given so much to me. But cancer has a way of rewriting plans.
On October 25, 2023, during my sophomore year, I relapsed. This time, the disease was more aggressive. I could no longer use the cold cap, and just before Christmas, I shaved the long blonde hair I had once fought so hard to save. Soon after, I learned I was no longer responding to chemotherapy and would need a bone marrow transplant.
On April 1, 2024, I received my transplant, followed by radiation in June. Through it all, I continued nursing school and expanded the mission of the Alayna Jayne Foundation. What began with funding cold caps has grown into so much more: wig funding, scholarships for nursing students impacted by cancer, Daisy Retreats for patients and survivors, and hospital room makeovers for bone marrow transplant patients who may spend weeks in isolation.
​Cancer has forever altered my outlook on life. I’ve seen friends’ lives taken far too soon, and I know tomorrow is not promised. I live each day with intention—fighting to honor their legacies, to advocate for change, and to give hope to those who need it most. I believe everything happens for a reason, and though my journey has been difficult, I’ve found my purpose: giving back. Whether through my foundation or my future work as a nurse, I will continue to advocate for adolescent and young adult cancer patients who are facing the same challenges I once walked through. Cancer has taken much from me, but it has also given me strength, resilience, and a calling to make sure no young patient ever feels alone in their battle.
