In the spring of 2022, Adrienne Teal 25MSN, RN, was ready for the next chapter.
The Canton, Ga., native had earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and spent a gap year working as a hospital patient care tech. Inspired by the nurses who cared for her grandfather during his cancer treatment, she applied to Emory’s MN Pathway program and was accepted for a May 2022 start.
But while she looked ahead with excitement, something else tugged at her attention: a nagging back pain, likely the result of workouts at the gym. Then an odd fever came out of nowhere, and the back pain intensified — leading her to two ER
visits and an upending diagnosis: B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
“It was definitely a very surreal moment, especially in your young 20s, to be diagnosed with something so life-threatening,” she says.
Adrienne’s next chapter would have to wait. With one call to the School of Nursing, she was able to defer her enrollment. She then began treatment: a 28-day hospital stay for intensive chemotherapy, followed by eight months of daily, seven- to eight-hour outpatient infusions.
Afterward, she transitioned to monthly chemo infusions and a daily oral chemo regimen — treatment she continued when she began the nursing program in May 2023.
Supported by Community, Fueled by Resolve
The Emory nursing program is demanding — and so is chemotherapy. But Adrienne persisted through both, drawing on a mix of external support and internal resilience.
Professors were supportive and compassionate. Clinical instructors helped protect her compromised immune system during clinical rotations by having her wear a mask and steering her away from high-risk environments. Fellow students became study partners turned treasured friends, forming a community that carried her through the challenging days. Her family and faith provided a firm foundation for it all.
“Emory is a very rigorous school, and chemotherapy is famous for creating brain fog and making learning difficult,” she says. “But everyone was just very kind and understanding about my situation — and at the end of my program, I ended up doing really well.”
Coming Full Circle: From Patient to Practitioner
Adrienne graduated in December 2025. After passing the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners board exam in February of this year, she stepped into her first role at the Bone Marrow Transplant Group of Georgia — the clinic that oversees her care.
During those long months of treatment, the clinic staff often joked that Adrienne needed to work with them once she finished school, compliments she saw as lighthearted encouragement.
But just after graduation, she received a call from a physician’s assistant from her treatment team: A nurse practitioner position was opening at the practice, and would she like to interview?
She gave the offer serious thought, making sure that she could separate being a patient from being a provider. In the end, the opportunity felt right. She interviewed and accepted the position.
She began work in March as a bone marrow transplant NP, where she reviews care plans, guides patients through treatment, and helps them navigate chemotherapy side effects. In this role, she says, her personal experience with leukemia will no doubt shape her approach to patient care.
“Even with my grandfather going through what he did, that was barely scratching the surface of understanding for me of what cancer treatment is like,” she says. “Experiencing it myself gives me a good understanding of how to be compassionate towards patients and how to anticipate their pain, which is something that, as health care providers, we can’t fully do unless we’ve been through something similar.”
“Experiencing [cancer] myself gives me a good understanding of how to be compassionate towards patients and how to anticipate their pain.”
Hope for the Future
Adrienne’s leukemia is in remission and has a low risk of return. If bone marrow biopsies remain clear for another year, she will be considered cured. And she is excited about contributing to the future of the profession that has given so much to her.
“It’s such a full-circle moment,” she says.