Family and friends in Canada gathered together to honor the life of a young woman who recently lost her battle with cancer.
Laura Hillier, 18, suffered from acute myeloid leukemia for years.
She died on January 20 before getting to graduate high school or get a final yearbook.
At her funeral, her friends gave Hillier a yearbook-style send-off.
They wrote colorful handwritten notes on her coffin, just like the ones she would have gotten had she received her senior yearbook.
According to CTV News, Laura waited for years to receive a stem cell transplant as a cancer treatment. Finally, in July she learned that there were multiple donors available, but a hospital bed shortage placed Laura on a waiting list even though she had a donor match.
She underwent surgery in August of 2015, but her cancer returned in November.
Laura was supposed to go to City of Hope National Medical Center in Monrovia, California for additional treatment on Jan. 18, but she was unable to travel due to medical complications the day prior.
She died two days later.
Her family has set up a fund to help fight childhood cancer. A donation can be made here in her name.
I couldn't possibly share this without including the message that a big part of why she died was due to long wait times for transplant patients. Link to her story:http://www.ctvnews.ca/health/teen-says-it-was-hard-to-hear-she-must-await-transplant-despite-donor-match-1.2468349Link to her donation page (I'm not trying to raise donations, but I would feel bad not including it): www.beyondkidscancer.ca\laurahillierDonations are used to raise funds for stem cell transplants.
