By Nigel Boys
After waiting for years to receive a stem cell transplant as a cancer treatment, 18-year-old Laura Hillier of Ontario, Canada, found out in July last year that while there were multiple donors, a hospital bed shortage meant she was placed on a waiting list.
The high school student who never got a chance to graduate from high school, or receive a final yearbook, sadly passed away on January 20 after years of suffering from acute myeloid leukemia. In a touching tribute to their beloved friend, her classmates recently delivered a beautiful farewell to the teenager who had suffered so much.
Gathering together at Laura’s funeral, her high school friends gave her a yearbook-style send-off, just like the one she would have received had she been given her regular yearbook, by writing handwritten notes all over her casket.
Metro U.K. reports that while she was waiting for a hospital bed, even though a perfect donor match was found in July 2015, Hillier underwent chemotherapy to keep her cancer in remission. As many other patients died ahead of her, Laura was told she may have to wait for several more months for a hospital bed before the life-saving transplant could go ahead.
Although Laura could have received the transplantation at a hospital in the U.S., her family could not afford the £250,000, just under $400,000, that it would cost for her treatment.
Laura received news in August 2015 that a bed was now available and she underwent surgery, but her cancer returned in November. She remained in an out of consciousness and needed a tube to help her breathe, but when she was moved out of the ICU and back onto a ward in January, her family was optimistic for her recovery.
“Although she is weak and has no immune system, this is a huge step for our girl who the doctors said would not see Christmas,” Laura’s family said, adding the motto they repeated throughout Laura’s battle: “Life is a song. Sing it til you’re heart’s content.”
“I am really happy to continue forward in my journey,” Laura said in a message herself on January 16, adding that she was optimistic about treatment at the City of Hope cancer treatment center in California. “Thanks for all the love and support I feel from all of you every day,” she added, the New York Daily News reported.
Sadly, however, Laura suffered a set-back on January 17 and had some bleeding.
Laura never made it to the California treatment center and as her family posted on January 19, pleading for her supporters prayers, stating “She is really struggling,” she died the next day.
Believing that “deadly wait times” for a hospital bed contributed to Laura’s suffering, her family is now working with the Coast to Coast Against Cancer Foundation to raise funds to improve stem cell transplants in Ontario to end the waiting game.
A GoFundMe page set up by Laura’s family to receive donations from anyone willing to help them in their fight has so far garnered over $20,000, according to reports.
Laura’s coffin, which was covered with colorful farewell messages, paying tribute to a much-loved student, appeared in a photo on Reddit, along with the link to her donation page. Her classmates dressed in purple at her memorial ceremony, their friend’s favorite color.
Laura’s family posted a final tribute to her on Facebook, which read: “Her poise, her courage, her strength and her pure spirit shone through right until the end.”
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