Part of an ongoing special successful student feature in the lead up to spring convocation 2013.

For Nicole Furey of Avondale, realizing her goal of becoming a social worker meant literally fighting for her life while completing her studies.

Ms. Furey was 19 years old and had just started her social work program when she was diagnosed with chordoma – a brain tumour. She was told that not much was known about this rare form of cancer and she would have to go to Ontario for surgery. She finished her first semester and in January 2010, Ms. Furey and her parents had a teleconference with a specialist in Toronto who said he was “amazed” she could still walk.

Ms. Furey then had to leave school to undergo treatment; it was one of the most difficult parts about the whole process for the young student. She had worked so hard to get into a competitive faculty.

“The people at the school were fantastic,” she said. “They advised how to apply for medical leave from the program and said they would hold my spot until I was ready to return.”

On Feb. 9, 2010, Ms. Furey had her first surgery. It took 15 hours.

“As soon as I woke up, I felt something was different,” she said. “The pressure was released and that grey feeling I had all over my body seemed to be gone.”

One week later she had yet another 15-hour surgery. She then underwent a third surgery; after five weeks in hospital was discharged. She then later travelled to Boston, Mass., for the followup radiation she required. The treatments ran five days a week for eight weeks.

In October 2010, almost a year from when her ordeal first began, Ms. Furey came home. The months that followed were not easy.

“Not only was I very sick, but that’s when it really started to hit me. And for the first time in my life I wasn’t going to work, studying, doing volunteer work.”

By Christmas, she was starting to feel a bit better and decided she needed to focus on her studies again.

“I didn’t want to sit around and pity myself. If I didn’t go back to the social work program in January and pick up where I left off, I would have to wait another whole year.”

In January 2011 she went back to Memorial.

“I fit in with the class so well even though I joined them late. The schedule was also great for me. Classes ran until noon, so I could go home and sleep until 3 p.m., then get up and study.”

Now, Ms. Furey couldn’t be happier about completing her degree and achieving great marks to boot -- but she’s not stopping there. She has been accepted at the University of Toronto to begin her master’s in social work in fall 2013.

Ms. Furey will walk across the stage at the St. John’s Arts and Culture Centre on Tuesday, May 28.