Nurse who battled cancer through school surprises dad with news she’s cancer-free

Victoria Glosson just received her nursing degree and will soon be on the front lines helping others. Not so long ago, this achievement may have seemed impossible.

The Oakridge, North Carolina, native was nearing the end of her third semester of nursing school when she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

“I was ecstatic and in shock at first,” she told “World News Tonight.” “This was such a long battle for me, and I couldn’t believe we finally got to the end of it. I had to go through so much, and to reach this point was incredible.”

Glosson underwent treatment as she continued her programm, and battled cancer for more than a year-and-a-half before finding out this week that she’s cancer-free.

“I was determined to get through. I had to get Neulasta shots after chemotherapy to keep my white blood cell counts up. Those shots hurt, and it was like every bit of your bones were breaking,” she said. “At times, my dad would have to drive me to clinical. … I had to be strong so the patients I was taking care of didn’t see my pain.”

As a Valentine’s Day gift, Glosson decided to surprise her dad, Sheriff Barry Glosson, with the big news of her recovery. She asked him to play loud music using earphones and she challenged him to read her lips.

“I’m cancer-free,” Glosson said softly as her dad tried to puzzle it out.

When he realized what his daughter was saying, he jumped and cheered and ran to his wife, Smita, and embraced her.

“I was overwhelmed with joy and very excited,” Barry Glosson told “World News Tonight.” “I saw my daughter go through the toughest battle of her life. … It was so scary to watch my daughter live this nightmare. The happiness in my heart is indescribable.”

She will soon be back on the frontlines working as a nurse helping people fight COVID-19 at the emergency department of a hospital in Greensboro.