Morris Co. Teen Mourned After ‘Courageous’ Battle With Rare Cancer

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — A Morris County community is mourning the loss of a teenage girl who recently lost a nearly three-year battle with cancer.

Amarachi Okere, a 15-year-old sophomore at Kinnelon High School, passed away on Sunday after a long battle with a rare type of soft tissue cancer.

In 2023, Amarachi was diagnosed with stage four Rhabdomyosarcoma at the age of 13. The aggressive cancer is more common in children and has only a 20 to 30 percent survival rate, according to the Canadian Cancer Society.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Amarachi’s family and all who loved her. We are grateful for the joy she shared with her classmates and friends, and we will honor her memory by continuing to support one another with the same courage she showed every day,” said Kinnelon Mayor James Freda. “Amarachi’s light will continue to guide and inspire our community. Our deepest condolences, and may God bless the Okere Family through this difficult time.”

The young lady was an avid horseback rider, often competing in shows with the Smoke Rise Riding Club. She loved animals, reading, and practicing her faith, according to her obituary.

“Amarachi was truly a bright and beautiful light in the lives of everyone she touched, bringing joy wherever she went,” a Smoke Rise statement read. “Though her time here was far too short, her light and spirit will continue to live on in the hearts of all who loved her.”

In her short time, Amarachi had created the Amarachi Ngozi Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to helping homeless people. She was inspired to take action when she noticed so many unsheltered people while traveling to and from Memorial Sloan Kettering for chemotherapy treatments.

To learn more about the Amarachi Ngozi Foundation and to make a donation, visit its website here.

Amarachi is survived by her parents, brother, grandparents, as well as several aunts, uncles, and cousins.

A visitation will be held at Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road in Wayne, on Friday from 4 to 8 p.m.

Funeral services are scheduled for Saturday at 10 a.m. at St Mary’s Church, 17 Pompton Avenue in Pompton Lakes, followed by internment in Our Lady of Magnificat Cemetery, 2 Miller Road, Kinnelon.