Ayala Sisters Fundraiser
Anissa and Marissa-Eve Ayala Share an Uncommon Bond
Join Marissa-Eve and Anissa in their commitment to find a cure for blood cancers. And help Anissa honor her younger sister through the Marissa-Eve Ayala Research Grant fund.
At age 16, Anissa was diagnosed with leukemia and a bone marrow transplant was given as her only option for survival. Since no bone marrow donor match was available, her parents, in their 40s, chose to conceive a child in hopes that he or she would be a matching donor. Born in 1991, Anissa's baby sister Marissa-Eve was indeed a match. At 14 months old, Marissa-Eve provided her with a life-saving bone marrow donation.
Anissa has been cancer-free since that life-changing bone-marrow transplant 18 years ago. Marissa-Eve was unharmed by the procedure and is today a healthy 19-year-old; she and Anissa are the best of friends.
Today, Anissa works as the Business Development Director for the Orange County/Inland Empire Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. With her wealth of knowledge and her own triumph over cancer, Anissa has dedicated her career to fighting blood cancers and helping those in similar situations to hers.
Once again Marissa-Eve is by her side, this time as a young adult who can use her voice and her story to help those in need.
