Pearl Rojas Leukemia Fund
Donation protected
On March 17, 2016 Pearl Rojas received the devastating news that for the second time in her life, she is going to have to fight off Acute Myeloid Leukemia. She needs our help to heal.
Pearl's fight to beating cancer began in April 2014. She was living in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, a remote island in the Bering Sea, where she worked as a Fisheries Biologist. Pearl woke up one morning with a terrible headache but tried to ignore it. She headed to the gym to stick to her healthy routine and by the time she got there, she was winded. Once inside, she stepped onto a treadmill but felt like she’d pass out; she went home. When she didn’t feel better later that day, she went to a local clinic to figure out what was wrong. Blood tests showed she was dangerously anemic and had an extremely low platelet count. Pearl needed an immediate blood transfusion to survive which is not available on the island.
Within 45 minutes of the results, friends had packed her a bag and Pearl was on a medical flight to Anchorage for an emergency blood transfusion. In Anchorage, doctors told her the reason why she was so sick—she had leukemia. She needed immediate treatment.
Hours later, she was airlifted again, from Anchorage to Seattle and then finally to her hometown of San Diego. The road to recovery was long and hard: doses of chemotherapy, months in intensive care, blood transfusion after blood transfusion. Fortunately, her brother was a match to donate bone marrow and Pearl is extremely tough. After a year of treatment, she beat cancer. The leukemia went into remission and by September 2015 she was healthy enough to return to work. Her position was relocated to the Seattle office so that she could continue to be monitored by specialists.
Beating cancer is expensive, and over the course of more than a year, Pearl had depleted her savings and then some. But as a testament to her character, she became an advocate for raising money for others experiencing similar financial issues. When she returned to work she became an integral member of a team for the “Combined Federal Campaign,” a philanthropy program that allows federal employees to pledge a percentage of income to eligible charity programs. In a matter of months, Pearl's group raised over $50,000. Pearl always puts others before herself.
In March 2016, Pearl was offered the opportunity to return to Dutch Harbor for a couple weeks of fieldwork in April. She was elated, two years from the date she could return to where it began; a real milestone to overcoming cancer. On March 8th 2016, Pearl was at a routine check-up, anxious to get the green light from her oncologist to go to Alaska. But then, she saw her blood work, her heart sunk. More tests were ordered and a week later, she learned the leukemia had relapsed.
Pearl will be starting chemotherapy immediately. She decided to receive care in Seattle because of the world class doctors available. Her treatment is complicated by the fact her brother can’t be a bone marrow donor again. Her mom took leave from work and flew up to be her full-time caregiver. They need our help, prayers and support.
Please donate to help relieve some of the financial burden associated with cancer. Get onboard and join Team Pearl. Help her beat cancer once and for all! Please donate.
Pearl's fight to beating cancer began in April 2014. She was living in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, a remote island in the Bering Sea, where she worked as a Fisheries Biologist. Pearl woke up one morning with a terrible headache but tried to ignore it. She headed to the gym to stick to her healthy routine and by the time she got there, she was winded. Once inside, she stepped onto a treadmill but felt like she’d pass out; she went home. When she didn’t feel better later that day, she went to a local clinic to figure out what was wrong. Blood tests showed she was dangerously anemic and had an extremely low platelet count. Pearl needed an immediate blood transfusion to survive which is not available on the island.
Within 45 minutes of the results, friends had packed her a bag and Pearl was on a medical flight to Anchorage for an emergency blood transfusion. In Anchorage, doctors told her the reason why she was so sick—she had leukemia. She needed immediate treatment.
Hours later, she was airlifted again, from Anchorage to Seattle and then finally to her hometown of San Diego. The road to recovery was long and hard: doses of chemotherapy, months in intensive care, blood transfusion after blood transfusion. Fortunately, her brother was a match to donate bone marrow and Pearl is extremely tough. After a year of treatment, she beat cancer. The leukemia went into remission and by September 2015 she was healthy enough to return to work. Her position was relocated to the Seattle office so that she could continue to be monitored by specialists.
Beating cancer is expensive, and over the course of more than a year, Pearl had depleted her savings and then some. But as a testament to her character, she became an advocate for raising money for others experiencing similar financial issues. When she returned to work she became an integral member of a team for the “Combined Federal Campaign,” a philanthropy program that allows federal employees to pledge a percentage of income to eligible charity programs. In a matter of months, Pearl's group raised over $50,000. Pearl always puts others before herself.
In March 2016, Pearl was offered the opportunity to return to Dutch Harbor for a couple weeks of fieldwork in April. She was elated, two years from the date she could return to where it began; a real milestone to overcoming cancer. On March 8th 2016, Pearl was at a routine check-up, anxious to get the green light from her oncologist to go to Alaska. But then, she saw her blood work, her heart sunk. More tests were ordered and a week later, she learned the leukemia had relapsed.
Pearl will be starting chemotherapy immediately. She decided to receive care in Seattle because of the world class doctors available. Her treatment is complicated by the fact her brother can’t be a bone marrow donor again. Her mom took leave from work and flew up to be her full-time caregiver. They need our help, prayers and support.
Please donate to help relieve some of the financial burden associated with cancer. Get onboard and join Team Pearl. Help her beat cancer once and for all! Please donate.
Organizer
Pearl Rojas
Organizer
Seattle, WA
