Child saves older sister from cancer

A little Brawley girl saved one of her older sisters from cancer and became the family’s hero.

6-year-old Arely Avendano and 14-year-old sister Yasli have never been this close – ever. And that’s because Arely recently saved her older sister’s life.

“I was diagnosed on June 28, I believe. And they started giving me chemo,” Yasli said.

Yasli was diagnosed with an aggressive form of Lymphoma cancer last year. She needed a bone marrow transplant urgently.

17-year-old brother Sergio Humberto Avendano said, “I went to the hospital and I saw my mom and I saw my sister and I couldn ‘t believe it. I started crying. It was pretty hard on us. Everybody was a little depressed. But we were still united.”

Doctors told the family the only compatible donor was little Arely .

“She’s really brave. Honestly, the doctors wanted me to be the donor. They tested me first and I was really disappointed but when I found out it was my baby sister I was really proud of her,” Avendano said.

The family was concerned how Arely would take the procedure. Avendano said they shouldn ‘t have because Arely was up to the challenge.

“She’s always been the outgoing one, the strong one, she’s really happy, and I’m happy that it was her, although it was dangerous but she went through it. The nurses would be like, oh, your sister is really outgoing, she talks a lot and she’s really energetic,” Avendano said.

Today, Yasli is free of cancer – thanks to her little hero.

Arely sat next to Yasli at home while we spoke to them. She leaned over to her sister and said, “I love you, Yasli . You’re the best sister ever!”