Chester Fourth Grader Needs Bone Marrow Transplant

CHESTER, NJ — Anya is just like any other fourth grade girl: She likes watching movies on Netflix, playing Minecraft and doing crafts. Unlike other fourth grade girls, Anya is battling leukemia, and doctors believe her best chance at recovery is a bone marrow transplant.

She was first diagnosed in kindergarten and went into remission in third grade. During this school year, Anya began complaining of pain again, and on Jan. 11, doctors diagnosed her with relapsed leukemia.

After trying chemotherapy, doctors began treating Anya with a new investigational immunotherapy drug. She will need a bone marrow transplant afterward, and her parents are asking people to sign up as donors through DMKS, a bone marrow donation registry.

"It is unknown at this time if there will be a match at the registry, but we are trying to get as many people to sign up as possible using the link posted on her page," Anya's mom, Pratibha LeFrancis, told Patch.

Doctors believe Anya's match will be a person with similar ancestry: South Asian and European. Her parents are asking anyone, regardless of race, to register to help broaden the pool.

Registration is simple. After filling out an online questionnaire, DMKS sends potential donors a swab kit in the mail. Send it back, and you'll be added into the registry.

A Facebook page posting updates about Anya and encouraging others to register as bone marrow donors, is named for her close relationship with dad Robert LeFrancis and her determination: Princess Anya The Overcomer. "She's Daddy's princess," LaFrancis told Patch. The page focuses on the positive aspects of life with cancer, like watching birds from the window, or receiving Valentine's from classmates at Bragg Middle School.

"Anya's favorite song undergoing chemotherapy was 'Overcomer' by Mandisa which we would often hear on Star 99.1," LeFrancis told Patch.

Despite having her own battles, Anya found a way to give back to other girls with cancer. During her second week at the hospital, Anya cut her hair off to donate before it fell out.

You can visit DMKS to register as a bone marrow donor, and follow Anya's progress at the Princess Anya The Overcomer Facebook page.

Image via the LeFrancis Family