Mia McCarthy has signed with one of the best cheerleading programs in the nation, though it wasn't an easy path to success.

McCarthy grew up competing in gymnastics for 13 years but was burnt out by the time high school came around.

"I decided to start cheering, so when I was a sophomore I decided to try out for the team and I made it," McCarthy said.

She never looked back. McCarthy's gymnastic skills translated well to her new team sport. Now, she gets to take that momentum to the next level, signing with the University of Nevada-Las Vegas with plans to major in psychology.

"[McCarthy] is an exceptional athlete. We met during her first season ever as a cheerleader and within that year she excelled tremendously. She was doing skills that take people years to master," said former coach Natalie Nirchi.

McCarthy was thriving until everything came to a halt in January 2018. She became ill with pneumonia and other illnesses, and her wellness issues continued to be more frequent.

Her family took her to a doctor where they discovered she had stage one lung cancer.

"It's such a feeling of despair I think. I know in the bigger picture many people deal with situations like this and worse, but when it becomes very personal, your world does feel like it is collapsing around you," said Todd McCarthy, Mia's dad.

McCarthy described not knwoing if she would ever cheer again, but the surgery was successful and she is now cancer free. 

"In January they took half my lung out, along with the tumor, and it went really successful," McCarthy said.

McCarthy returned to competing just two weeks later, and whithin three weeks found herself in the STAC Championship.

"I've never known anyone to come back from surgery of any kind within weeks. And not just come back part of the way, she came back all the way, fierce, and ready to go," Nirchi said.