2-Time Cancer Patient Lost Her Hair and 'Identity.' Now, She's Rocking Her First Ponytail Since Finishing Chemo (Exclusive)

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Alayna Riozzi-Bodine is celebrating a major milestone as she recovers from her second cancer diagnosis — the ability to put her hair in a ponytail again.

Now 21, the nursing student at Monmouth University tells PEOPLE that she was only 17 and starting her senior year of high school when she was first diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma in September 2021.

"No 17-year-old ever expects to hear the words 'you have cancer.' Two thoughts ran through my mind: 'Am I going to survive?' and 'Am I going to lose my hair?'" the Monmouth County, N.J., resident recalls thinking.

Riozzi-Bodine kept her hair while undergoing eight rounds of standard chemotherapy before being declared cancer-free in February 2022. She says that she was the first pediatric patient who was able to use a cold cap at Memorial Sloan Kettering.

According to the American Cancer Society, a cold cap is a form of scalp cooling treatment. The organization explained that scalp cooling entails "lowering the temperature of the scalp with a scalp cooling device," noting that "for some people, scalp cooling might reduce hair loss caused by chemotherapy."

Cold caps "work by connecting a special cap to an automated device that circulates a liquid or gel cooled to a specific temperature."

The therapy can only be used for specific types of cancer and is not formally approved for use by pediatric patients, according to the ACS.

A competitive triathlete, Riozzi-Bodine says that being able to keep her hair provided a "small piece of normalcy" in her life.

Click Here to view the full article in People Magazine