For nearly a year, Madison was in and out of the hospital. And by the time she was able to return to school on a regular basis, she had fallen badly behind in her studies.

“It was a very stressful point in my life,” she said. “I was coming to realize that all my friends were going to graduate before me, and that maybe I might not get to graduate at all, and it was really scary for me.”

When a counselor suggested that Madison enroll in Graduation Alliance classes, she jumped at the opportunity.

“It was a good fit for me,” she said. “The classes are online, but there were always people there to support me, and there were also weekly meetups. I really liked that personal touch. I got to know a lot of the other students and that was so reassuring, because we were all there for different reasons, but we all had the same worry of not graduating.”

It took a lot of hard work, but Madison was soon caught up with her peers.

“It was such a relief, because when I would have to go to the hospital, even if it was for overnight observation, I could just bring my laptop with me and it was no problem,” she said. “I never fell behind again.”

Having taken classes in child development, Madison has grown interested in working with children in some capacity. She plans to explore that interest more in college.

For now, though, she is basking in the knowledge that she didn’t let her medical challenges get in the way of her education.

“I’m proud of myself and my family is proud of me, too,” she said. “I’m really grateful for this program.”