Tri for a Cure athlete races to support sister 24 years after becoming her bone marrow donor

By Norah Hogan

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    BRUNSWICK, Maine (WMTW) — Brunswick native Jasmine Boyle is swimming, biking and running in this year’s Tri for a Cure for her sister Vanessa, a leukemia survivor.

“For our family, it meant that cancer was kind of the sixth child — or unwelcome family member in our family — for as long as we could remember because it happened to her when she was so young, when she was in preschool and I was in first grade,” said Jasmine.

Vanessa was diagnosed with leukemia at just two and a half years old. At the age of four, she relapsed. Six-year-old Jasmine became her bone marrow donor.

“We look back on it now and call each other blood sisters, that we have twin blood since she got my bone marrow transplant,” said Jasmine.

Between hospital visits, careful sterilization at home, and lots of uncertainty, treatment was difficult.

“It’s held its effect on my family for as long as we can remember, whether it’s ongoing hospital bills, the hospital visits or personal effects that it’s had on her growing up, or the effects that it’s had on our family,” said Jasmine.

Now, when Vanessa, Jasmine, and their sister Angelica look back on those childhood days, it’s the normal, playful moments that stand out, even against the backdrop of hospital waiting rooms.

“I think the people around us did a really great job of supporting Vanessa and our family and making it feel less heavy,” said Angelica. “Looking back, like most of what I remember is really positive things, and I think a lot of that is because of the help we did get from our community and from different organizations.”

Jasmine says that Maine Cancer Foundation is one of the groups that made that pivotal difference.

“It meant not having to worry about the small things that make a big impact when you’re going through that kind of experience of having a child that you’re just trying to keep alive,” said Jasmine. “At that point, not having to worry about; are the other kids going to have toys or video games or coloring books to even play with in the waiting room.”

Now, Jasmine says participating in Tri for a Cure is her opportunity to give back to the organization that helped her family.

If you want to support Jasmine’s fundraising efforts, you can visit her participant page to donate.

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