Hundreds of students, parents welcome third-grader back after cancer fight

QUINCY, Mass. — A little girl who was diagnosed with and has beaten cancer not only earned her first day back at school, she deserved it.

Bridget Kelley missed 15 months of school, but when she finally made it to class on Jan. 2, she was greeted by her classmates and their parents, bringing smiles to the Kelley family’s faces.

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Bridget was met by hundreds of students, parents, teachers and police officers, all braving temperatures at  4-degrees to hold signs of welcome and encouragement for the third-grader, the "Today" show reported.

Her parents thought it would be too much for the girl who fought leukemia, but instead, she embraced the welcome and and raised her arms in victory, her mother, Megan,

Bridget was diagnosed with lymphoblastic leukemia in Sept. 2016. She had been seeing a doctor to have a swollen tonsil removed, but an MRI found it was worse than initially thought. She then had to undergo chemotherapy and surgery, before having a stem cell transplant.

Bridget was tutored while she was out of class so she could stay on educational track with her classmates, but also remain isolated as she healed, "Today" reported.

The welcome was organized by the parent of one of Bridget’s classmates. She originally invited 50 people, but that number grew to more than 150.

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“We had anxiety about sending her back to school because we were so trained to avoid germs, but it was also such a relief,” Megan Kelley told “Today.” “It’s like we’re finally on the upswing now that she’s allowed to come back.”

Cox Media Group