'Bridget The Brave' Returns To School After Cancer Battle

QUINCY, MA — Bridget Kelley got to do something last week that she hasn't done in some time - walk to school. It's been 15 months since she's been able to attend classes and in her return, she was joined by a few friends.

About 150 friends, family, supporters, and police officers welcomed Kelley back to Merrymount Elementary School and walked her to her first day of school. She had been out of class fighting leukemia.

The return has made national headlines, including an appearance on NBC's Today Show. The welcome rally was organized by a local school parent, who invited 50 people and got triple that, despite temperatures near 0 degrees.

The return was a welcome change for the 8-year old girl, who spend nearly three months in Boston Children's Hospital and several months in isolation following a stem cell transplant from her 3-year-old sister.

Unfortunately for Kelley, she had to wait a few days for her second day back. Due to a snowstorm that dropped well over a foot of snow on the area, school in Quincy was canceled for two days.

Patch wrote about Kelley's battle and "Bridget's Joke Challenge" back in 2016. Started by the Brookline Police Department, the campaign called on local police and fire departments to send their best attempts at humor to Kelley, who was in Boston's Children Hospital at the time.

Image via Quincy Police Department