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SALT LAKE CITY — Kelsie Albee is very sick, but she's still a cheerful and happy patient.
"I am too blessed to be stressed," she said.
Albee can't have many visitors at Primary Children's Hospital, but the 17-year-old Manti girl is getting support through her own social media hashtag.
"My last name is Albee, so why not hashtag Albee strong, so keep keepin' on, Albee strong," she said.
Albee was recently diagnosed with cancer and spent what was supposed to be the first day of her senior year of high school in the hospital Thursday.
While she can't be in class, her school and community are doing everything they can to keep her involved.
Albee said she knows she has to be strong right now for herself and her family.
"There is nothing easy about being 17 and in a hospital bed," she said. "I miss my old lifestyle, but this is making me a better person, and it is teaching me so much."
Less than a month ago, after weeks of unexplained pain, she received a difficult diagnosis.
"We definitely never expected to hear the word cancer," her mother, Shirlene Albee, said. Doctors discovered a large, cancerous tumor on her liver.
But as students returned to Manti High School on Thursday, they made sure the first day of Kelsie's senior year was a special one — from signs in the hall, decorations on her locker and plans Friday night to dedicate the football team's first game of the season to Kelsie and her cancer fight.
"I can put Kelsie in any situation, and she will always succeed, she will always come through, and we know she is going to do the same with this, and she will have an amazing comeback and inspire us all," said Manti High School speech teacher Eric Peterson.
For her parents, all of the school's encouragement is also helping them to stay Albee Strong.
"We have so many people that love us and are praying for Kelsie, and the community has been so amazing," Shirlene Albee said. "We have felt so much support."
When Kelsie is having a tough moment, she holds on tight to a blanket with the school colors sent by her classmates.
"I love my high school," she said. "I have seen them do this for so many people, and now it's me and that's hard."
But it's easy, Kelsie says, knowing she is not alone.
"It makes a world of a difference to know I don't have to fight this by myself," she said. "I have had so many miracles and so many reasons to smile."
Kelsie just finished a second round of chemotherapy. To follow her cancer fight on Facebook, go to Keep Keepin' On #AlbeeStrong. A GoFundMe account* also has been set up under Kelsie Keepin' On #AlbeeStrong to help cover the mounting costs of medical care and travel.
*KSL.com does not assure that the monies deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
