MACON, Ga. — Over the last 10 years, Nakeia Brooks battled and overcame cancer.
She celebrated an important anniversary last week.
13WMAZ caught up with Brooks to find out more about her journey along the road to recovery.
For the last decade, Brooks and her family have spent countless hours in and out of hospitals. Back in January, she was just a few weeks into her remission, and she was looking forward to a new beginning.
"I really have a second chance at life, and I was just happy," she said.
Brooks was recovering from acute biphenotypic leukemia, a rare form of cancer where she needed a stem cell transplant to save her life.
The transplant happened on September 27, 2019, and her mother, Marqueta Lucas, was her donor.
Brooks says the last year has been a challenge.
"It's been weird because of COVID, but I seem to just push forward through everything, so I'm just taking it as it goes," she said.
Brooks says COVID has gotten in the way of some of her plans, but family and friends have helped keep her out of harms way.
"With me being not able to go a lot of places and do a lot of things, I can pick up the phone and just call them and say, 'Hey I need this, I need that', and they bring it to me," she said.
Brooks is studying nursing at Valdosta State University, taking all of her classes online.
She's been looking forward to her first flight.
"I'm trying to plan a trip. It's in the works, but we're shooting for maybe next year just to be on the safe side. But my plans are delayed, not denied, and for that I'm thankful," Brooks said.
The 22-year-old says she still gets nervous when she goes for her check up appointments, but doctors say she's doing exceedingly well.
Brooks says doctors are still figuring out ways to treat the form of cancer she had, but she's a success story for stem cell transplants across the world.