ABQ teen with terminal illness graduates early

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Seventeen-year-old Karleen Zetina made her way onto the stage Friday night at West Mesa High School, the lone graduate marching through the packed auditorium.

Zetina has been fighting an aggressive brain cancer for more than two years. She described her fight to survive to KRQE in October of last year , when she was participating in a clinical trial.

“It’s usually killed by removal, but it has came back,” Zetina said of the tumor. “I’ve done radiation and chemo, and had three surgeries.”

About a month ago, the treatment stopped working and now doctors say there’s nothing more they can do.

So now Zetina is enjoying the time she has left, and the folks at West Mesa High came together to help Zetina realize her dream. Zetina’s brain cancer and numerous surgeries made it difficult for her to process and retain information. She fought through the pain and completed high school.

Friday night she made the walk of her life and accepted her diploma.

“Everything is so great,” Zetina told the packed auditorium. “Thank you.”

It’s a night Zetina’s family says they’ll always treasure.

“It’s such a great feeling to know and see her accomplishments realized,” Valerie Naranjo, Zetina’s aunt, told KRQE. “She worked so hard all this time to go to school, even when she was sick. There was times she wanted to give up, but she didn’t, and she’s such an inspiration to all of us. We’re very proud of her.”