INDIANAPOLIS -
It's a major milestone for families: watching their teenager graduate from high school.
Friday night, students who battled serious health challenges had even more to celebrate at Riley Hospital's second annual Hematology/Oncology graduation ceremony.
The cap and gown, the pomp and circumstance, and the parental pride are all common at high school commencement. But for these students, this graduation means so much more.
"To watch her go through this and keep her head up is something. I mean it's just remarkable," said parent Rick Butterfield.
"It's just a little different with people that have been through the same thing that I have," explained 18-year-old Riley graduate Katie Butterfield.
Katie has been through 3 years of cancer. It's a battle shared by all of the 23 graduates at Riley Hospital.
For Katie, a seemingly harmless lump on her hand led to the diagnosis of a rare soft tissue cancer.
"It was just like a knot that wasn't supposed to be there," Katie said. School suddenly took a backseat to survival.
Rounds of chemo and radiation dominated her junior and senior years.
"I don't know how she made it through high school. For every day that she was there, she was gone one," her dad explained.
But Katie, like all of the Riley graduates, didn't let cancer stop her. She graduated from Bedford North Lawrence High School last week.
"I just don't know how she did it. I honestly do not know. You know, you got kids that are there 365 days that come out of there with F's. And she came out with cords, honors, the whole nine yards," her father said. "And what she's actually been through, to see her walk just down through there is remarkable."
Some of the students who received recognition Friday are still fighting cancer. Katie is in the midst of another round of radiation.
But all of the students are headed to college. Katie plans to study radiation therapy at Ball State in the fall.
In fact, many of the teens are going into the medical field to try to help children, just like them, beat cancer.
The celebration at Riley, they say, is just one part of their journey.
"It's achieving a milestone I guess," Katie said. "I'm just proud I made it."
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