Dear family, friends, & community,

As many of you already know, we received news that, unfortunately, Evelyn relapsed and was rediagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). Evelyn is currently undergoing rigorous treatment with a new leukemia drug to fight this cancer and beat it once and for all. Her oncologist has determined that with a relapse, she will need a life-saving bone marrow transplant (BMT) as soon as a donor becomes available. We are currently awaiting a donor match through the #bethematch registry. We were blown away by the amazing response from our community that registered for and shared about the urgent registry needs. We were hoping that our asks would only go as far as the search for a match bone marrow donor, but as we meet with Evelyn's transplant team at Stanford University, we realize how costly the next year will be for our entire family.

Evelyn's treatment will require her and 1 family member (serving as a caregiver) to relocate to the bay area while she is treated at the Stanford University facilities. She cannot be admitted for services unless she meets the requirement of relocating to the "BMT Safety Zone" in the Palo Alto area for about 3-8 months, depending on her course of treatment. While we are grateful that she will be receiving care at one of the best transplant centers in the country, it is also located in one of the most expensive housing areas in California. Our ask will help support Evelyn's fight by helping cover her and our family's relocation, transportation (gas & parking daily), meals, and loss of income during this difficult time. After reviewing our packet from Standford treatment team, the cheapest available options for accommodations that meet the requirements are about $150 per day. That’s over 4K per month alone on housing, while still having to maintain our home in Sacramento. It is not easy for us, as a working-class family, to ask so much of our family and friends, but our lives have changed so quickly that we realize we cannot do this alone. We are urgently seeking assistance as we could need to relocate as soon as September. This has been an overwhelmingly stressful time to navigate under COVID-19 and the uncertainties that come along with it, but we know that with your help, we will overcome this again - and for good this time. 

Evelyn underwent a 3-week hospital stay so that she could be closely monitored while she completes the first round of her new treatment. After a few bumps here and there, she powered through with her positive spirit and is now at home with a 24-hour infusion pump. She is still required to visit the hospital every day and receive regular platelet/blood transfusions. This all adds up as the hospital is located 30 minutes away and requires our family to take time off of work. Due to COVID-19 and the Delta Variant, we still ask that no one visit Evelyn while she is at home. She is immunocompromised and cannot risk even the smallest infection. Evelyn also asks that we continue to give her the space to rest and process all that is happening.

We couldn't be more grateful for everyone's tremendous support and love. If you are unable to give, there is still time to help save a life by registering on the BetheMatch Registry or by sharing this/bethematch donor information. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. Evelyn will beat this!

With the deepest gratitude,

The Lopez-Diaz Family

(Andrea is managing this and all updates relating to Evelyn)