The nurses who looked after Alana O’Reilly in hospital were the “silver lining” during her battle with Hodgkin's lymphoma.
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Not only did the nurses comfort and care for the “scared” Bowral teenager, they helped her study for her HSC.
Today, some four years later, the now 21-year-old hopes to be just as good a nurse as those from Liverpool Hospital who were there for O’Reilly in her time of need.
O’Reilly is now a nurse at Bowral Hospital.
On Thursday she officially graduated with a Bachelor of Nursing degree from the University of Wollongong.
“I guess the nurses in hospital kind of inspired me,” O’Reilly said.
“Having this disease was such a horrible experience. But, I guess they [nurses] were like the silver lining.
“I basically spent all of year 12 in hospital. I was having chemo every two weeks so I got to see the nurses quite a bit. They helped me with my studies.”
Given the all clear from the blood cancer, O’Reilly now makes the point of following her dreams.
That’s why she plans on also pursuing her passion for acting.
The aspiring actor has already enjoyed some success, playing ironically a nurse in an episode of popular Australian show Love Child in 2017.
Soon she will appear in Channel 9’s new crime thriller Bite Club.
The series set in Manly stars Dominic Monoghan, of Lord Of The Rings fame, and well-known Australian stars Todd Lasance, Pia Miller and Ash Ricardo.
“This will be my first feature role,” O’Reilly said.
“My character's name is Sasha. I’m kind of the love interest of the main character.”
O’Reilly said her experience with Hodgkin's lymphoma brought home the importance of making the most of life.
“When I got the all clear I just thought people only get once chance so you might as well do what you really enjoy, so I decided to do both,” she said.
“Obviously nursing is more important but for as much as I can, I will try to do both. I might as well make the most of it. We all get one chance so do what you enjoy I guess. Don’t let anything stop you from pursuing what you want to do.”