“Imagine a newborn having the flu, it's no different than my situation,” Amelia Sullivan tells PEOPLE
NEED TO KNOW
- A stem cell transplant saved Amelia Sullivan’s life, but it also wiped out the immune system and childhood vaccinations she had built up over two decades
- As her body recovered after treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma, flu season became especially difficult, with even minor illnesses feeling severe, she tells PEOPLE
- Now back to restarting her vaccines, Sullivan sees the process as another milestone in her cancer journey
Amelia Sullivan was 20 years old when what was believed to be heart and lung problems turned into a cancer diagnosis.
In August 2023, doctors discovered that her months of chest pain, shortness of breath and an elevated heart rate were actually caused by tumors pressing against her trachea, heart and arteries, leading to a stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis.
After six months of chemotherapy, the Colorado native entered remission in March 2024, only to relapse later that year and begin another grueling round of treatment that ultimately led to a stem cell transplant on March 10, 2025.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, a stem cell transplant can treat — and sometimes cure — certain blood disorders, cancers and autoimmune diseases by replacing unhealthy stem cells with healthy ones, either from the patient's own bone marrow or donated stem cells from another person.
What followed was not just recovery from cancer, but the rebuilding of an immune system erased by the very treatment that saved her life, Sullivan tells PEOPLE.
@ameliasulllivan Another milestone unlocked whoop whoop! #cancerawareness #cancersurvivor #lifeaftercancer #stemcelltransplant
♬ original sound – amelia
Before the transplant, Sullivan underwent high-intensity chemotherapy designed to wipe out the cancer completely. But the treatment also destroyed the healthy stem cells responsible for her immune system, erasing the immunological memory of past vaccines and infections.
"Because it's not possible to just get rid of bad cells, to eliminate the cancer, they had to eliminate my healthy stem cells,” she explains. “Which, in essence, erased my entire immune system, including all of the vaccinations and immunities that I got when I was a child and developed over 21 years of life," she shares.
Doctors harvested Sullivan's stem cells before treatment and later transfused them back into her body to rebuild her immune system. During recovery, she developed engraftment syndrome, an inflammatory reaction that can happen when new stem cells begin growing after a transplant, and Sullivan was moved to the ICU and placed on life support.
Looking back, she says, “It's ironic that what eventually saved my life almost killed me first.”
Credit: Amelia Sullivan
After weeks in the hospital, the recovery process stretched far beyond discharge. Sullivan says everyday activities suddenly carried risks most people never think about.
“I had to be extra careful around food such as raw meat and was advised not to eat anything unless it was double-cooked,” she recalls, as her immune system was severely compromised, making her highly vulnerable to foodborne illnesses.
For months, doctors warned her to avoid crowds, travel and unnecessary exposure to illness while her immune system slowly rebuilt itself. Something Sullivan says was very “difficult” for her at the time.
“My college graduation was a month after my transplant in a different state,” she reveals. “I made it happen because I also believe in living my life to the fullest despite my health challenges. Why fight for your life but not live it?”
Even as her strength gradually returned, flu season became one of the hardest parts of recovery. Sullivan battled multiple illnesses while her body struggled to protect itself.
During the second month of recovery, Sullivan contracted two strains of the flu at once, and later spent months fighting illnesses that lingered far longer than they would for most people.
“The common cold felt like life or death in my shoes,” Sullivan tells PEOPLE exclusively. “Imagine a newborn having the flu; it's no different than my situation."
The experience made finally getting her first round of vaccines feel both emotional and overdue.
“I feel like my life before cancer is so different from my life after cancer, and it's as if those two girls have never met,” she explains. “And although getting my vaccines again was a big milestone, I felt as if it was another reminder of what I went through and how much it sucked.”
In April 2026, Sullivan received seven shots in one day, with additional doses scheduled for June. And despite preparing for side effects, she says her experience surprised her. “I never felt sick in the slightest, which is crazy, but I'm glad,” she shares.
Credit: Amelia Sullivan
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With May 23 marking one year in remission, Sullivan says restarting her vaccines was never optional in her eyes.
“It was never a question of if I was going to get my vaccinations redone, rather when I was able to,” the now 22-year-old tells PEOPLE. “Medicine is fascinating, and without question, what healed me. It only makes sense to take the steps to continue to stay safe and healthy.”
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