The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

    End of chemotherapy marks fresh start for aspiring nurse

    The greatest concerns the average teenage girl has in high school are dating, finding a prom dress and applying to colleges, but for Taylor Mangus, one of her biggest challenges  began when she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. 

    taylor mangus

    Mangus (above) completed her chemotherapy treatment
    and was declared cancer-free shortly after her high school
    graduation. In honor of her clean bill of health, Our Lady of
    the Lake Hospital hosted her “No Mo’ Chemo” party, which
    was camo-themed. The Lion's Roar / Sara Patrick

    Mangus was an honors student at East Ascension High School involved in several extracurriculars including the National Honor Society, Beta Club, Future Business Leaders of America and the Fellowship of Christian Students. She fell ill at the beginning of her sophomore year of high school.

    “In October, I started to get really tired,” said Mangus. “My mom kind of figured, ‘You’re a teenager. You’re supposed to be tired.’ I had really bad jaw pain, especially late at night. I went to the doctor like three days in a row, and she said, ‘Try Advil.’”

    Mangus remembers one doctor who insisted she was faking her symptoms to get out of school. Despite skepticism, she scheduled an MRI with a neurologist. Blood work conducted at an emergency room visit came back surprising, and after retesting, she was admitted for a weekend in the hospital. 

    “My first nose bleed ever lasted three hours long,” said Mangus. “We had discussed the possibilities. Leukemia had come up in discussions but was kind of looked at as a last resort, so the doctors covered all the bases.”

    Mangus was sent to Our Lady of the Lake Hospital, where she had a bone marrow biopsy on Halloween. Her doctor entered the room dressed in a pink fairy costume, told her that she had leukemia and said that she would have to leave for St. Jude Hospital in Memphis, TN, the next day to begin treatment. 

    For two months, Mangus endured the beginning of her treatment, growing too ill to even attempt keeping up with school, and received her first PORT, which is a device used to distribute chemotherapy. 

    “It’s basically a metal or plastic circle with a silicone in the middle,” said Mangus. “They slip it into your chest or on your side, and they can access you with a needle to give you chemo. Because you get so much of it, it’s a lot safer than having just an IV.” 

    Over the course of her treatment, she had two PORTs and three picc lines, which are tubes used to distribute chemo. The first PORT gave her a blood clot, and they put in a picc line for a while. The second PORT gave her chemotherapy burns. For each picc line, Mangus was responsible for cleaning the lines while she was home to avoid infection. This was in addition to 30 or 40 pills she had to take for chemotherapy and combating side effects. 

    After the first few months of treatment at St. Jude, Mangus was able to go home and return to high school. 

    “They got me into remission after the first month and a half,” said Mangus about her treatment at St. Jude. “I was totally atypical. They were like, ‘I think you might do better at home, and you live 20 minutes from the affiliate.’ There are only five or six affiliates in the world, so to live so close to one was such a blessing. St. Jude is a wonderful place, but it’s totally different when you can be at home in your own bed, in your own room.”

    She fought hard to catch up with school through added online coursework in order to graduate with the rest of her classmates. She maintained her high GPA and jumped back into activities. Despite the time away from East Ascension, she managed to transition back into her high school and was named Homecoming Queen her senior year. 

    Shortly after graduating in May, Mangus celebrated the end of her chemotherapy treatment, which normally lasts around two and a half years, by throwing the traditional “No-Mo Chemo” party with her family and friends. 

    Mangus has decided to take her experience battling leukemia to heart and pursue a career in the health field in hopes of one day helping others fighting cancer. She is officially cancer-free and is now preparing to start a new chapter in life as a nursing student at Southeastern. 

    “The campus is beautiful,” said Mangus. “The people are friendly. Everybody I talked to loves it. It’s not too big, not too small, it’s cozy and it’s just right.” 

    Leave a Comment
    Donate to The Lion's Roar
    $600
    $1000
    Contributed
    Our Goal

    Your donation will support The Lion's Roar student journalists at Southeastern Louisiana University.
    In addition, your contribution will allow us to cover our annual website hosting costs.
    No gift is too small.

    Donate to The Lion's Roar
    $600
    $1000
    Contributed
    Our Goal

    Comments (0)

    Comments and other submissions are encouraged but are subject to The Lion's Roar Comments and Moderation Policy. All views expressed are those of the author and should not be interpreted as the views of The Lion's Roar, the administration, faculty, staff, or students of Southeastern Louisiana University.
    All The Lion's Roar Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *