Samantha Diaz (Sammie)

Newport Harbor High School

Age: 17

Diagnosis: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Sammie was diagnosed December of 2017, after she had fainting spells at school and home. When she went to the doctor they said that she was anemic and would need to go get a blood transfusion immediately. She then found out that she had leukemia. She began chemo immediately, and eventually needed to get a bone marrow transplant. Her younger sister Syanti was her donor. She had her last chemo treatment on 8/13/18. August 2019 she is considered to be cancer free, after last biopsy.

Hobbies: She LOVES to sing, and dreams of becoming the next big hit on the Billboards. She is in honor choir at school, and will be visiting NY in spring 2020 for a choir competition that she had to put on hold when she was diagnosed. Her choir teacher fundraised on her behalf so she could afford to go to NY. Sammie also participates in dance at school and enjoys learning about the different cultures and styles of dance. When she has time, Sammie volunteers at school, tutoring, daycare, and teaching. She has learned to play piano, ukulele, electric and acoustic guitar, and violin.