In Honor of Camila

Camila de la Llata:

Today I was saddened to find out the news that a young woman, only 23 years old passed away on June 9th from Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

I first met Camila when I worked at a summer camp in college. She was just finishing her Freshman year of High School and was full of life and energy. Despite the age gap between us there was something about Camila that made you want to be her friend. It was great getting to know her that summer and watch her perform in the camp play.

I never really spoke with Camila again after that summer, but we were Facebook friends and would keep in touch with each others lives.

Last fall, Camila was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. At this point I was already committed to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Finding out this news just continue to fuel my passion and I signed up to complete my first triathlon in her honor. I sent Camila an email telling her I was thinking about her and tried to help promote her cause.

Camila desperately needed a bone marrow transplant. Due to her bi-racial background and not having any siblings should could not find one. She continued to do chemotherapy in hopes of finding a match.

This morning I was saddened to find this article posted by her parents. Camila had a beautiful spirit and despite how briefly she was part of my life, she still made an impact.

If there is one thing to take away from Camila's story it is to live life to it's fullest because you never know when things may change.

Thousands of patients with blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma, sickle cell and other life-threatening diseases depend on the Be The Match Registry^® to find a match to save their life.

Patients need donors who are a genetic match. Even with a registry of millions, many patients cannot find a match. Donors with diverse racial or ethnic backgrounds are especially needed.

You can find out more about the National Bone Marrow Registry and Be the Match here.