Our beloved niece, Eva Marciano, has been courageously battling a serious and rare illness since the summer of 2025. At just 22 years old, Eva should be focused on school — instead, she is preparing for a stem cell transplant for a rare blood disorder that was only recently discovered in 2011.

What first appeared to be severe pneumonia quickly became something much more complicated. Eva spent 25 days in the hospital in August 2025 before returning to school in California, determined to continue pursuing her dreams. Throughout the fall, she struggled with ongoing hospitalizations, breathing complications, exhaustion, and worsening blood issues. At that time, we did not realize how bad things were.

When Eva came home for Christmas, we could see how sick she had become, and we all hoped doctors would soon have answers. In January 2026, she returned to school, only to be hospitalized again for nearly three weeks — this time far away from her family on the East Coast.

Eventually in April 2026, she made the tough decision to drop out of the semester of school and come back home to continue treatment. She left the first chapters of her adult life – the apartment she loved, the new friends she made in California, and moved back to Boston.

After additional hospital stays and emergency room visits, doctors diagnosed her with MDS (Myelodysplastic syndrome) and PAP (pulmonary alveolar proteinosis) caused by a rare GATA2 gene mutation. Because of the PAP, protein continues to build up in Eva’s lungs. This requires ongoing procedures to flush and clear them so she can breathe more comfortably.

In order to begin healing, Eva will need 3–4 weeks of chemotherapy followed by a stem cell transplant. After the transplant, she is expected to remain hospitalized or under intensive medical supervision for under 100 days to ensure her body accepts the donor cells. Following that process, she will remain under close medical care for another 18 months, including receiving vaccinations again as her immune system rebuilds.

Right now, Eva is at Massachusetts General Hospital fighting recurring fevers while waiting to begin chemotherapy in June 2026. Since the beginning of 2026 alone, Eva has spent more than 90 nights in hospital rooms.

Her treatment journey ahead is overwhelming and going to be very long, as the last 10 months have already been.

There is a chance, based on other patients with similar diagnosis, that there will be another stem cell transplant needed and more medical care years down the line, because of the GATA2 mutation. Regardless, there will likely be follow-ups and medical appointments for the rest of her life. There is still so much unknown about the diagnosis, especially as Eva’s mutation is very unique and unlike other cases.

Eva is only 22 years old, but she has inspired so many people with her strength, individuality, and creativity.

Eva graduated from Beverly High School, where she loved drama and the arts. She later attended North Shore Community College and worked incredibly hard academically before independently applying to art schools across the country. Her determination led her to California to pursue her dream of attending art school and building a future as an artist and animator.

A message from a close friend at her college:

Eva is a huge inspiration and someone I look up to. Their knowledge about art, animation, and cartoons pushes their peers to produce the best work possible. A natural born leader who isn't afraid to say what's on their mind. It's hard to hate Eva Marciano when you know they come from a place of determination and heart.

Eva is bright, talented, deeply creative, and one of the most unique souls you could ever meet. She also worked with our family business during summers as an intern and brought joy, personality, and kindness everywhere she went.

An example of Eva's incredible creativity is here:

This journey has placed enormous emotional and financial stress on Eva and her family. We are asking for support to help with:

A third party will help oversee and manage the funds responsibly. 10% of excess funds will be donated to certified charitable organizations supporting patients and families facing similar serious illnesses.

Most importantly, we ask for your prayers, support, and hope for Eva and her doctors as they continue this difficult fight.

If you can’t donate money, please share this and add yourself to the registry to donate your bone marrow at the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP.org) – you might just be the key to saving someone’s life. Without a bone marrow donor Eva’s prognosis was grim.

Thank you for supporting Eva and her family during the hardest chapter of their lives.