Emily Ali and I grew up together in West Orange, NJ, where we attended West Orange High School side by side. Our friendship continued to grow as we both went on to Rutgers University, where Emily’s passion for science and language led her to double major in Genetics and Chinese, with a minor in Evolutionary Anthropology. After graduation, Emily moved to New York City in 2020 to work at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), dedicating her career to studying cancer, including pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, and melanoma. Her commitment to helping others was clear in everything she did, and she inspired everyone around her with her drive and compassion.
In 2023, Emily transitioned her research focus to gynecologic cancers, a decision deeply influenced by her mother’s diagnosis with endometrial cancer. Tragically, Emily’s mother passed away that year, and six months later, Emily also lost her aunt to pancreatic cancer. Despite her grief, Emily continued to move forward in her career, determined to transform outcomes for gynecologic cancer patients. These profound losses motivated her to pursue a PhD in Biological Anthropology, with a focus on understanding and improving knowledge of genetic markers for gynecologic cancers.
As she prepared to start this new chapter, Emily began experiencing troubling symptoms. Despite her excitement for school, she pushed through until severe abdominal pain sent her to the emergency room. That’s when she received the shocking diagnosis stage II Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. While her prognosis is favorable and she is hopeful for remission by next year, the journey ahead is filled with challenges.
Emily has already accumulated thousands of dollars in medical bills after just her first round of chemotherapy. Soon, she will be on medical leave and lose her living stipend, leaving her without income to cover rent and daily expenses. I am reaching out to ask for your support—any contribution, big or small, will help Emily focus on her recovery and ease the financial burden she faces. Your kindness will make a real difference in her fight against cancer.