Diana Olalde was a very active little girl, who liked to dance and go to school in her native country of Mexico. When she was four years old her mother began to notice several bruises on her body. Diana and her parents had just recently arrived in the U.S. when a doctor diagnosed Diana with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Within a short time, Diana health deteriorated and her doctor recommended that she have a bone marrow transplant to save her life. Diana’s parents tried everything possible to collect funds for the operation, which they were told would cost more than half a million dollars. Her parents organized several events to find donors, but were not successful. “Our hope was fading; it was several months of suffering. If we let more time pass our daughter would not live,” said Sergio, Diana’s father.
Soon after, Diana developed an infection that kept her in the hospital for two months. Diana’s parents thought their daughter would not live. Diana was referred to St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. “When we were told about St. Jude our lives changed,” said her father.
Diana has received several cycles of chemotherapy and other treatments to fight her cancer. “In addition to losing all her hair, the chemotherapy made her very weak, which hurt us the most” said her father.
She dreams of going back to school and playing with her little sister. Thanks to friends like you, Diana will have the opportunity to fulfill her dreams and have a happy life.
Created by St Jude Patients