At 4 They Received the Same Cancer Diagnosis, Years Later, They Meet Again at Medical School

In 2007, 4-year-old Ellie Koerner and 4-year-old Dawson Nailor both had acute lymphoblastic leukemia and were treated by the same physicians. Now, 18 years later, they both meet again at medical school, where they’re studying to be cancer doctors.

Childhood Cancer Patients Meet Again at Medical School

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At a social event one night at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dawson saw Ellie and recognized her as the little girl he had known 18 years earlier.

“He taps me on the shoulder and he's like, ‘What's your name?’ And I'm like, ‘Ellie,’” she recalled.

“I was like, ‘Did you have leukemia?’” Dawson asked her. “Her eyes widened and she was like, ‘Yes, I did.’”

“He said, ‘We were treated together.’ And I was just like speechless,” Ellie said.

“And then we took a picture together and sent it to both our moms. And our moms immediately remembered, you know, each other,” Dawson said.

From The Same City, But Attended Treatment in Another State

What’s even more miraculous is that neither student has called Philadelphia their home.

They both grew up in South New Jersey but received treatment at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

“We grew up 10 minutes apart from each other our entire lives and we never crossed paths [outside of Philidephia],” Dawson recalled.

Ellie said they knew all the same doctors. She went into remission in 2008 and became a talented athlete, competing in gymnastics, lacrosse, and Tennis.

Dawson said, “I celebrated my fifth birthday in the hospital and then ultimately underwent chemotherapy for 2 and 1/2 years and went into remission and was cancer-free on October

1st, 2010.”

Dawson also became an athlete, competing in baseball and track and field. They both got involved in raising money for cancer patients and their families, and they both want to help young cancer patients.

Going on The Medical School Journey Together

“75% of the reason I want to be a doctor [is] because I want to be the kind of doctor that treated me,” Ellie said.

“You know, I feel like it's kind of been a lifelong calling… born out of struggle and

shaped by my experiences,” Dawson said.

News footage shows the pair at their white coat ceremony, hugging and smiling broadly.

“We've gone our separate ways in life and now life has brought us back to going to medical school and wanting to be doctors,” Ellie said.

Wow—that can’t be a coincidence. Ellie and Dawson share so many similarities and have the same passions. God has brought them together, and hopefully, they will change and transform their patients' lives just as their doctors did for them as children. They are sure to help the world be a better place through their experience, dedication, and hearts for patients!

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h/t: CBS Philadelphia

Featured Image Credit: YouTube/CBS Philadelphia

Michaela Gordoni is an avid reader and part-time globe-trotter. With a bachelor's degree in International Relations and experience in the non-profit world, she has a passion for people and reporting. You can check out her portfolio here.