A 3-year-old girl traveled more than 7,000 miles to Baltimore to receive a rare cancer treatment.
Chereez Nel traveled all the way from South Africa for treatment at the Maryland Proton Treatment Center.
Nel has stage 3 undifferentiated soft tissue sarcoma cancer.
The Proton Treatment Center is located in the University of Maryland's Bio Park here in West Baltimore. The center offers what's called proton therapy.
Doctors are using proton therapy treat her dangerous form of cancer. It's a highly advanced form of radiation therapy that used positively charged particles to destroy cancer cells.
The process increases the dose of radiation to the tumor itself while decreasing amount to the healthy surrounding tissue.
Nel got her last dose of treatment Thursday morning, and she celebrated finishing her cancer treatment by ringing the bell of hope.
The center's princess also stopped by to see Nel and to grant her wishes for her journey.
READ MORE: Proton princess gets special day at National Aquarium
She will remain in Baltimore a little longer as doctor’s see how her cancer reacts to the treatment, but the hope is as her treatments conclude, Nel is able to and her family can head home.
Though the 17-hour flight back might be intimidating to some, the courage and fortitude Nel and her family showed while undergoing the innovative new treatment and navigating her cancer put it all in perspective.
@WMAR2News was at MPTC this morning filming three-year old Chereez Nel's bell ringing ceremony! Chereez and her parents traveled from South Africa to Baltimore so that Chereez could be treated with proton therapy at the Maryland Proton Treatment Center. pic.twitter.com/7y7YZWBtiz
— Maryland Proton (@MarylandProton) October 25, 2018
Click the picture below to see photos of Nel’s last day at the Maryland Proton Center:
