Hi. My name is Leah and you can help me live again. I’m 21 years old. I’m a university student attending the University of the West Indies and I have severe aplastic anemia. I was diagnosed at 15 years old and have been receiving treatment for my disorder ever since at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex. My disorder causes me to experience extremely low blood cell levels, with my range being 3 to 6 for red blood cells, and less than 10 for platelets. Blood cell levels in this range are considered critically low and leave the person at high risk of bleeding, blood clots and major organ damage. This condition is called severe thrombocytopenia and I’ve been living with it for the past 7 years due to my aplastic anemia. Every day is a struggle and I rely heavily on fortnightly blood transfusions to maintain a relatively normal standard of living. The closest thing to a cure that currently exists for aplastic anemia is a bone marrow transplant. This is where your help comes in…. The typical cost for a bone marrow transplant including comprehensive follow up medical costs is well over $1,000,000USD. Big Yikes. And to make my situation even more dire, my reliance on blood transfusions to survive up until this point also increases the risk of complications for the procedure. So in other words, I need to receive a transplant soon or it won’t be as effective. All hope isn’t lost as I am in the optimal age group for this procedure as well as feeling relatively comfortable in my body upon transfusion. There are also immunosuppressive therapy options that I can re-explore as I have received ATG twice in the past with minimal results, but advancements in this approach are being made everyday and I am willing to try anything that can mitigate my reliance on transfusions. This option is less effective but is more economically viable at around $200,000USD for a 6 month course. I’m hardworking and currently boast a 3.8 GPA from my current term’s exams (semester 2 2026) and my cumulative GPA is a more modest 3.6. I’m studying accounting and finance. I have also been on the Caribbean Examinations Council Regional Merit list twice for both Economics and Accounting. I love taking part on sporting events when I’m able to and made it my goal to participate as much as possible in my community.