Mikael Perla asks what side the red-and-black tassel goes on as he tries on his cap and gown for the first time. His black gown is adorned with many colorful cords signifying achievements, and a big golden medal that reads "Valedictorian", an honor he had not expected.

He was always a good student, but Mikael's high school years were unusual. While his peers fought bullies and parental rules, Mikael fought for his life.

It was during his freshman year, just after Christmas break on a Monday afternoon at 2 p.m. when Mikael's mother, Sally, received the phone call. The little lump on Mikael's head that doctors had dismissed as an in-grown hair or something cosmetic had been removed and autopsied. The diagnoses: Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia.

"He was 90 percent leukemic then," said Sally, adding that she felt angry that doctors hadn't taken a closer look at the then mosquito-bite-sized lump when she had brought Mikael in for the first time six months before.

After the diagnoses Mikael went straight to the hospital and stayed there for a month.

Then came a six month intensive phase during which Mikael received oral chemotherapy, IV chemotherapy, intrathecal chemotherapy, and brain radiation.

The chemo made Mikael very sick and weak, and his blood count was too low for him to leave the house.

A nurse, Sally tried to administer his anti-nausea medications to him on a regular schedule and care for him like a patient, but it was very hard to see her son like that. "It's very scary and you, as a parent, feel so helpless," said Sally.

But Mikael somehow found strength and humor in it all, watching the food network while he was constantly throwing up.

"He had this silly humor. He was still in between being a child and being an adult. He understood the seriousness of the situation but had that youthful hopefulness," said Sally.

"I was scared sometimes," admitted Mikael. "But early on, during the in-patient phase, I just decided to fight it and get through it."

It wasn't until he lost his hair that the seriousness of the disease became real for Mikael.

"The hardest thing about having cancer is that you don't want people to know you have cancer," said Sally. "Up until he lost his hair, he could still look OK and go to the video store even if he felt bad."

Following his hair loss, Mikael didn't leave his room for a week. And even after he started coming out he wouldn't go anywhere without wearing a baseball cap or his grandfather's satin-lined driving cap.

But the chemo was working and slowly things started getting better. And while he would continue to receive medication and be seen by a doctor every week for the remainder of his high school career, Mikael returned to school in his sophomore year. At first he attended sporadically, but during the second half of that year, when his blood count levels steadied, he started attending daily.

He was still very weak, and Sally came to school with Mikael, carrying his books up the stairs and from class to class.

Academically, Mikael started making up for lost time and went far beyond expectations, excelling in his regular classes, the BioTech program, and even taking AP classes.

Socially, Mikael had a tough time connecting.

"It was hard coming back. I worried about how [the would act around me," Mikael said. "I didn't have my hair back yet. And I just wanted it to be normal."

Additionally, due to his illness Mikael had matured faster than his peers, learning that being able to go to school is a privilege and he found a new appreciation for life.

"The stuff [my talked about was trivial. It was hard to get interested in cars and sports and stuff," said Mikael.

But he found friendship in the BioTech program, where his classmates had grown close because of Mikael and his illness.

"They really stood behind him," said Sally. "They started doing the Green Lake Relay for Life because of him."

Last October it got scary all over again when Mikael caught a virus and his blood count got really low.

"We thought the cancer had returned," said Sally. "But it was just a virus."

Mikael's three years of 'maintenance treatment' ended in April and while he still has to come in every month for blood work, Mikael can finally move on.

The next few weeks are filled with his senior prom, award ceremony, and graduation. "He finally gets to be a normal kid again," said Sally.

Next year Mikael will start studying Pre Med at the University of Washington. He was always interested in medicine, but it was the many hours spent in the hospital that inspired him to become a doctor.

"Even when he was really sick, Mikael was always interested in what the medicine was doing to him on the molecular level," said Sally.

Other than finding a deep interest in the medical field, Mikael said he learned to not take anything for granted.

"I realized how many people cared about me and how lucky I was," Mikael said. "I hope [sharing my will inspire others who have cancer or another illness to continue to learn and pursue their dreams."

Sally said she is extremely proud of her son for overcoming the disease and excelling in school in spite of it, but more so for being strong and positive throughout it all.

"While I went through all the stages of grief, he's always been my positive person," said Sally. "He just did what he had to do to get well and was always positive. As a nurse I see miracles everyday. He is my miracle."