IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

Teen cancer survivor upset when her scar was edited out of yearbook photo

Allison Hale battled stage IV Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and she embraces the scar that helped her beat it.
Courtesy Allison Hale
/ Source: TODAY

In December 2020, Allison Hale, now 16, learned she had stage IV Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She went through many experiences familiar to those who have had cancer, including losing her hair and receiving a port, a device inserted under the skin for easier chemotherapy delivery. Yet, she embraced these transformations, realizing they gave her a new love for her body. That’s why she felt surprised to see that her port scar was edited out of her junior yearbook photo.

“The scar made me the stronger person that I am now. It’s proof of the trauma that I hold so close to me and that I think of every day to remind myself of that ‘this too shall pass’ mentality,” Allison, of Evansville, Indiana, told TODAY Parents. “I was able to overcome this and the scar is proof of that and it’s incredibly important to me.”

When Allison was first diagnosed, she had worried she might not have all her high school experiences.

“At one point, I was like, ‘I’m never going to have another yearbook photo. I’m not going to hit all these milestones,” she said. “I was able to and I just felt incredible.”

In the spring of 2020 Allison Hale's lymph nodes were swollen and she didn't think much of it. She later learned she had Hodgkin's lymphoma.
In the spring of 2020 Allison Hale's lymph nodes were swollen and she didn't think much of it. She later learned she had Hodgkin's lymphoma. Courtesy Allison Hale

For picture day, she wore a shirt that showed off the scar, which is on her chest beneath her collar bone, and she expected to see it in the photos. While she felt disappointed that her scar was edited out, she decided to call the company to share why having her scar visible felt so important.

“(I) explained, ‘Hey I had cancer. You took out my scar and on the order form I had marked no touchups. So I didn’t want anything edited,’” Allison said. “They were so extremely polite and understanding.”

Allison and her mom do not want to name the company because it responded so kindly to Allison and gave her unedited photos. But Allison wanted to share her experience to encourage others struggling with body image.

“It’s OK to look how you do, look and to be confident in that and your scars,” she said. “You can take a stance and be yourself unapologetically.”

The first thing Allison Hale wondered when she was diagnosed with cancer was if she was going to lose her hair. She did but that experience taught her a different sort of self love.
The first thing Allison Hale wondered when she was diagnosed with cancer was if she was going to lose her hair. She did but that experience taught her a different sort of self love. Courtesy Allison Hale

Allison’s cancer experience started in the spring of 2020 when she noticed her lymph nodes were swollen.

“I just shrugged it off,” she said. “I started to lose my appetite a lot and I was a lot more tired. As the year went on, it kept progressing a little and my lymph nodes kept growing.”

At first, the doctor thought an enlarged thyroid caused the symptoms. But after tests and a CT scan, doctors realized something more serious was happening.

“The CT scan showed that it was more than an enlarged thyroid,” she said. “I had a biopsy that confirmed Hodgkin’s lymphoma on December 22, 2020. And later we found out that it was staged four.”

Allison Hale's experience with cancer had an unexpected side-effect--she grew to love her body more. Her port scar reminds her of how strong she is and how much she has been through.
Allison Hale's experience with cancer had an unexpected side-effect--she grew to love her body more. Her port scar reminds her of how strong she is and how much she has been through. Courtesy Allison Hale

Starting in January 2021, Allison underwent chemotherapy infusions three days in a row at the Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis. Doctors implanted the port to make treatments easier.

“I got nervous for every surgery but the idea of what was actually going to happen in that surgery wasn’t too worrisome because I was so focused on 'OK I have another chemo round coming up and this is just going to help with that,'” she said. "The port was going to help heal me.”

Having cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic meant that Allison felt isolated. Only her mom could stay with her when she spent three days a week for inpatient chemotherapy at Riley. When she was at home, she couldn’t see her friends and often felt too exhausted to even FaceTime with them. But her brother, Cody, 28, remained a huge support for her. When she started losing her hair, he shaved his head to help her feel comfortable.

“Whenever I was first diagnosed, that was one of the first questions I asked my mom. I was like, ‘Am I going to lose my hair,’” Allison recalled. “It just started falling out in clumps and every time I would cry.”

Going through treatment for cancer alone felt difficult at times for Allison Hale. She feels grateful that she had her mom's support.
Going through treatment for cancer alone felt difficult at times for Allison Hale. She feels grateful that she had her mom's support. Courtesy Allison Hale

Grappling with losing her hair and shaving it off, though, gave Allison a deeper appreciation of her body.

“As soon as that hair was gone it was like I was a whole new person because I took control of that. The cancer didn’t,” she said. “It was really empowering to me because I didn’t look like myself and I was evolving into this healthier version of who I am.”

When Allison Hale's hair started falling out, her brother shaved his head to help her feel more comfortable with being bald.
When Allison Hale's hair started falling out, her brother shaved his head to help her feel more comfortable with being bald. Courtesy Allison Hale

She learned that she is cancer free in July and has been in physical therapy because the chemotherapy “paralyzed some of my leg muscles." What she’s experienced over the past 11 months has bolstered her self esteem in ways she never expected.

“I was always very insecure and then after realizing that my body was able to fight off this incredibly difficult thing and this monster, pretty much that was able to heal me and keep working … I evolved into a new person,” she said. “I just completely broke out of my shell into this new what I think is amazing person.”