I received my degree after studying beside my hospital bed

Dear Delyara, I was diagnosed with lymphoma halfway through my final university year. I considered withdrawing completely. Instead, after discussing it with my doctors and university, I reduced my course load, deferred one module, and completed others during treatment. There were days I studied from a hospital bed and weeks when I did nothing academic at all because staying alive was enough. My classmates graduated without me. That hurt more than I expected. Today, one year later, I crossed the same stage. My hair has grown back differently. My mother shouted my name before it was announced and embarrassed me in front of everyone. I loved her for it. The degree took longer than planned. Cancer interrupted it but did not become the only story of that year. Education success, for me, was learning that delay is not the same as defeat and that finishing later still counts as finishing.