Spanish Town teen with bone cancer tops online academy honours while aiming for medical career

WESTERN BUREAU: Seventeen-year-old Nathel Taylor has been told he cannot sit in a regular classroom because of bone cancer, and the illness has already cost him a leg. Even so, the Caribbean Online Academy (COA) graduate continues his studies online and holds firm to his ambition of working in medicine one day.

Taylor comes from Spanish Town in St Catherine and is moving into fourth form at COA. Doctors have diagnosed him with osteosarcoma, a fast-moving bone cancer that most often starts in the arms or legs and is commonly seen among teenagers and young adults. He has made clear that sickness will not be allowed to derail his schooling.

"I feel proud of myself for my academic success, especially while dealing with my health issues, and while being supported by my family and my wonderful teachers. Cancer took a lot of my time, but I refuse to let it take my education as well," Taylor told The Gleaner.

"People ask me how I do my schooling and my hospital visits at the same time. Honestly, I just take it one day at a time, and if I have chemotherapy or a check-up to do, I will do my work in the evenings or after I reach home," he explained.

That discipline showed at COA's awards ceremony in July 2025, where Taylor collected more student prizes than any of his peers. He was named the leading student in his grade-eight cohort and took first place in his year group for Physics, English Language, Social Studies, Business Studies, and Information Technology.

"I am motivated by my goal of entering the medical field, and by my mom, who encourages me to strive for success. I never let an entire day go by without doing something, and it does not matter how small it is, I will still do something," he continued. "For example, I usually take 15 minutes doing Mathematics, or I will read a page of my Biology handouts. Even though it may be small, the small things add up over time."

His mother, Latoya Lemonious, said watching him push ahead with lessons while undergoing treatment has strengthened her own resolve. She is also working to raise money for a prosthetic leg for him, priced at more than $891,000.

"Watching Nathel fight for his education while fighting cancer showed me what real strength looks like. On hard days, such as after hospital visits, we will talk about his classes, and I tell him that cancer took his leg but not his future. We make sure he knows we are behind him 100 per cent," said Lemonious.

COA principal Judian Wright said Taylor stands as proof to staff and pupils that daunting obstacles need not define a person's path.

"Nathel Taylor has had a profound impact on our entire school community. Despite battling bone cancer, he has consistently demonstrated resilience. He is a very determined young man, and very optimistic," said Wright. "He brings a sense of enthusiasm and positivity to the classroom and the entire school community. Through his example, he teaches us that our circumstances do not have to determine our outcomes."

Wright and her husband, Donovan Wright, launched COA in 2016 to build a community of students and teachers focused on strong results in the Caribbean's regional standardised examinations.

The school's Homeschool Academy Division opened in 2022 under Wright's daughter Jada Wright, offering flexible online home-schooling for learners who find traditional timetables hard to manage.