Brazilian couple to marry after recovering from Hodgkin's lymphoma

A young Brazilian police couple is adding another chapter to their incredible love story by tying the knot after overcoming their battle with Hodgkin's lymphoma. 

Synndy Ferreira, 22, recalled being a 16-year-old heading into her senior year of high school just five years ago when she felt a strange growth on her neck and visited the doctor before she received the shocking diagnosis.

'I felt a lump on my neck, I thought it was nothing until I started to feel bad, Ferreira told Brazilian outlet O Liberal. 'I had the biopsy and the diagnosis transformed [by the] end of the year.'

Synndy Ferreira (left) and her fiancée, Rodrigo Lima (right), overcame a battle with Hodgkin's lymphoma last month in Brazil. The police officers started dating as teens in high school and found out they were both diagnosed with cancer during their senior year in 2017. They are now planning to get married 

Synndy Ferreira (left) and Rodrigo Lima (right) always made sure that their chemotherapy sessions to treat Hodgkin's lymphoma were always set for the same time and date

Her 23-year-old fiancée, Rodrigo Lima, whom she was shy about approaching as a freshman before they became friends the second year and fell for each other the third, stopped by one day to visit her at Octávio Lobo Children's Oncological Hospital despite feeling sick himself after noticing a lump in his leg.

They sought a doctor who ran a battery of tests which eventually determined that Lima, too, was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma.

The young lovebirds were challenged early on, but Lima's presence, Ferreira explained, made the road to recovery easier to navigate.

'We led a normal life, really a teenager's life. We studied, took a course and, suddenly, we had to stop everything to start the treatment,' Ferreira said. 'I think that was the worst part. But, as I was with him, I tried to forget about everything and think about the future. There were few times that we cried because of the disease itself.'

Brazilian couple Rodrigo Lima (left) and Synndy Ferreira (right) had their last chemotherapy session in October

Synndy Lima (left) said Rodrigo Lima (right) found out he was also diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma while visiting her at the hospital

The couple always made sure that their chemotherapy sessions were scheduled at the same time and date because, according to Ferreira, it gave them 'strength.'

'Receiving the diagnosis is a very difficult moment,' he said. 'But keep an eye on the support of family, friends and hospital staff. Keep those you love close and enjoy the company of those who support you.'

Lima and Ferreira both managed to enroll in college while they received their treatment and then decided to postpone their last year in school to take the military police entrance exam, which they passed.

The couple completed their last chemotherapy session in last October and were cleared by the health department Sunday.

'I remember the two of them receiving treatment, doing the follow-up and it was amazing how supportive they were,' Octávio Lobo Children's Oncological Hospital staffer Elizabeth Cabeça told G1. 'Their story is incredible and, today, when we are faced with this news, we cannot help but overflow with joy.'

The cancer survivors, who have hopes of being parents one day, still have not chosen a wedding date yet. 

'I joke with him saying that we were born to be together,' Ferreira said. 'This is a thing of destiny, because our paths always cross. We were students, we became friends and then we dated.'