GoFundMe Campaign Helps With Lifesaving Bone Marrow Transplant

PHOENIX, AZ — Jan. 4 of this year was the first day of a raw new reality for Marisol. It was the day she was diagnosed with leukemia. The diagnosis united the family in pain and sorrow, “but our faith in God became stronger than ever,” writes Ismael Villarreal, who serves as Marisol’s GoFundMe campaign manager. The Phoenix fundraising campaign aims to raise $450,000 for Marisol’s lifesaving bone marrow transplant.

Villarreal writes about the long road for Marisol from first diagnosis to present day. Looking back, the time of diagnosis and its profound impact on her family was followed by yet another impactful reality for Marisol: the need to start immediate chemotherapy, as the type of leukemia she has is very aggressive. So aggressive that at first diagnosis, the doctors told Marisol she would only live two more weeks. A bone marrow transplant was not on the table then because Marisol was in such a weakened state that her doctors felt she couldn’t withstand a transplant.

Near the end of a one-month hospital stay, during which her daughters visited once weekly, the doctors told Marisol that chemotherapy hadn’t produced the desired results, and that she would only live a few more days. “But God did not let go of Marisol’s hand, and at that moment everything changed,” said Villarreal. Marisol’s platelets and hemoglobin, which had been extremely low, suddenly increased considerably. This was a surprise to the doctors, who let her leave the hospital a few days later.

Once at home, Marisol visited the clinic every three days, getting labwork done and vitals checked. She was readmitted to the hospital for a week when she started chemotherapy again. Next was resting at home for two weeks. The first week Marisol suffered a lot more side effects such as headache, dizziness, bone pain, loss of appetite and nausea. Sometimes during her stints at home, she had to go to the emergency room for low platelets, fevers and even an allergic reaction once.

After her difficult chemotherapy was completed, Marisol’s doctors let her know that she was now in good enough condition for bone marrow transplantation. They also told her the transplant was her only path to ending her cancer.

Marisol continues to fight the disease and carry on with faith, Villareal said. “Marisol gets up every day with a positive attitude to continue in this fight against cancer, with a strong faith and with a trust in God that will allow [her] to emerge victorious from this battle. We ask you to pray for her, and we thank you for being on the lookout for Marisol and for your great support." $10,630 of the campaign’s $450,000 goal has been raised. See Marisol’s fundraiser at GoFundMe.com.

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