Aiding in the Fight of a Lifetime

January 2021

College of Nursing

BYU nursing student Annie Welton with her fiancé (now husband) Davin Lyman.

Nursing student Annie Welton and Davin Lyman, also a BYU student, had only been engaged for two weeks when doctors confirmed that Davin had thyroid cancer. “You hear ‘cancer,’ and it’s just overwhelming and scary. You feel like everything’s rocked,” says Annie.

Davin’s thyroid had to be removed, along with 20 lymph nodes. Annie credits the Lord for helping them through the ordeal, and though doctors have yet to officially declare remission, they have confirmed that the cancer was successfully removed.

Annie also credits a scholarship for keeping them afloat. The Lymans were struggling to pay thousands of dollars in medical bills while working and managing heavy school loads. Annie approached the BYU College of Nursing about a scholarship. Although it was outside of the typical application period, the college was able to provide a donor-funded scholarship.

“Without the scholarship, I honestly don’t know what would have happened, because neither of us can take on more work. I think we would have been stuck,” says a grateful Annie. “Thanks to the scholarship, we’re both in school.”