Laura's Last Journey

I'm not really sure where to start, it's been quite a journey. We started this battle a year ago (April) I took my sister Laura to the doctors and after a series of tests they came to discover that she had Myelodysplastic syndrome. MDS is a disease of the blood and marrow. It happens when the cells in the bone marrow are damaged. After her diagnosis, she immediately started a 6 week (7days a week) chemotherapy treatment. The treatment didn't work. By October she was diagnosed with ACute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) which results from acquired changes in the DNA (genetic material) of a developing marrow cell. Once the marrow cell becomes a leukemic cell, it multiplies uncontrollably into billions of cells. The cells, called "leukemic blasts" do not function normally. However they are able to grow and survive better than normal cells. The presence of the leukemic blasts blocks the production of normal cells. As a result, when AML was diagnosed, the number of healthy blood cells is usually lower than normal. After her diagnosis Of AML she went to Princess Margaret for a more intense chemotherapy treatment, she had to stay in the hospital for the duration of the treatment. She was there for a month and with everything she endured the treatment was not successful. She was able to come home for Christmas but on January 7th, I (Violet) was at The Toronto General Hospital giving stem cells for a bone marrow transplant, at the same time my sister Laura was at Princess Margaret Hospital for a check up. The test revealed her Cancer was full blown. She was admitted again for a week to receive the most intense chemotherapy treatment available and yet again to no success. She was sent home and on February 2 nd we were given the devastating blow that there is nothing more that can be done, she was given a few months to live. As her sister I am here to carry out her last wishes, which are to make it back home in St. John's, Newfoundland where we were born. She wants to have her funeral back home with all our family and friends. We are fundraising to be able to bring her remains back to her hometown. From the bottom of my heart I can't tell you what it means to have your help carrying out my sisters last wish to make her last journey home. Thank you.