During the month of November, most Carlsbad students were busy thinking of Thanksgiving break and getting ready for the holidays. However for senior Sana Moezzi, it was a Wednesday night in November when she came home from work to hear the most shocking news any high schooler could hear, especially during their senior year.

Like anyone in Moezzi’s position, her and her family were overwhelmed with emotions but strived to stay positive.

“When I came home with my hair tied up, my mom noticed a big difference between my two shoulders,” Moezzi said. “On my right shoulder there was a huge bump and my mom just started crying. She kept trying to reassure me, but I  felt very worried because my mom doesn’t just start crying.”

After many tests Moezzi was told that she was diagnosed with stage two Hodgkin Lymphoma cancer. Amongst all the pain and sorrow she was feeling, she was able to find a sense of gratitude.

“At first when I found out, I started crying because it was hard to comprehend since it is my senior year,” Moezzi said. “But more than that, I was really thankful it was only stage two and I was glad that it was treatable.”

Moezzi experienced how the word cancer stirs a sense of fear, but physically the process she had to undergo to treat this brought her more pain.

“I think the feeling of being upset when hearing the word cancer comes from the treatments,” Moezzi said. “The scariest side effect was waking up and not being able to feel my arms or legs when I woke up. I felt paralyzed. An emergency group had to come and pick me up and I was just crying out of fear since I couldn’t move anything.”

Even though the treatments made Moezzi feel alone, she would not have been able to share her smile with the world if it weren’t for the people inspiring her throughout this whole battle.

“Whenever I think of the support from my friends and family, I can’t stop smiling,” Moezzi said. “The support I received was overwhelming and intense, but the intensity made me so happy. People who visited me or just texted me and asked me how I was doing all made such a big difference. When you’re going through all this, you feel a sense of loneliness so all the support is just so special.”

Now that she is 100% cancer free, Moezzi shares her new outlook on life. With her newly found appreciation for life, she encourages others to find their joy.

“If there is ever a minute or second where you feel like you aren’t doing anything or you are complaining, just rethink and realize everything you have,” Moezzi said. “You have to live life fully in every minute because you never know what’s to come.