Bianca Nicole Reyes-Velilla Memorial Fund

We have set up this fundraiser in the loving memory of our beautiful niece Bianca.

We are asking for help for her family to defray the cost of funeral expenses. Any amount received over that will be donated to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (www.stjude.org) and Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (www.lls.org) in her name.

Bianca Nicole Reyes-Velilla was your typical teenager --- she loved experimenting with make-up, keeping up with the latest fashions, going to the movies, and watching her favorite TV shows. She loved reading on her Kindle and playing Animal Crossing on her Nintendo Switch. Hawaii was one of her favorite family vacation destinations. Never to be found without at least one earbud in her ear, she enjoyed music and her angelic voice could often be heard singing along to Harry Styles or BTS.

What was NOT typical was the heartbreaking confluence of events that tragically took her away from us at the tender age of 19. On April 6, 2021, just 5 days before her milestone 18th birthday, Bianca was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer typically found only in adults. We were all in disbelief as a routine blood draw returned results that were previously inconceivable. Cancer. The dreaded "C" word that no one ever wants to hear (Leukemia B Cell-ALL). This was not how you were supposed to spend your 18th birthday, on a hospital bed...

A young woman on the cusp of adulthood, experiencing first love and planning on celebrating high school senior-year activities and moving on to the college of her choice, was now suddenly in the hospital for months at a time, undergoing toxic rounds of chemotherapy, and forced to take multiple medications to keep her disease at bay. Add to all that the complications of the COVID pandemic, her friends going away in different directions as they prepared to graduate, being unable to spend time with her boyfriend, or even be comfortable at home in her own bed, and you cannot even begin to imagine how dreadfully isolating and physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding her life became. An introvert at heart, her burgeoning independence was suddenly curtailed, and she disliked all the attention and distress caused by her unexpected circumstances. This was not how senior year was supposed to turn out...

Starting in middle school, Bianca became passionate about championing certain issues, including environmental protection, LGBTQIA+ equality, and women's rights. Unrelentingly vocal about hurtful behavior and hypocrisy, she was dedicated to staying informed and educating her friends, family, and other loved ones about her chosen causes. She wrote for her school newspaper and was considering becoming a Communications major at SDSU. Besides her advocacy, at the core of who she was, Bianca loved and honored her family. She was a "mini-me" of her mom, a protector of her older brother, an appreciative audience of Papi J's dad jokes, a respectful granddaughter, a playmate of her little nieces, and the list goes on and on. This was supposed to be just the beginning of how she wanted to make positive changes in this world...

In Feb 18, 2022, she received a bone marrow transplant from her brother and it should have been a turning point in her recovery. Her cancer was in deep remission. Unfortunately, her body was taxed by the strong medications, operations, and other procedures that she had to go through, and we had to make the heartbreaking decision to take her off life support on July 12, 2022.

If you have read this far, thank you! In truth, there are not enough words to capture the value of a young life cut short, of so much potential that will not be fully realized, of a love so great for this always kind and cheerful child, even at the height of her illness. Children, especially, are not supposed to get cancer. There urgently needs to be more research done to focus attention on updated treatments. No parent should have to let their child go, and any day is too soon.

We would like to believe that our Bianca is now enjoying a frozen Coke from McDonald's in heaven, singing and dancing and continuing to shine her light and love on us. Please join us, so that there can be a "next time" for all the young children out there who need our support.

R.I.P. Bianca Nicole Reyes-Velilla

April 11, 2003 - July 12, 2022

Respectfully yours,

Reyes/Velilla family