Deidre's Hope for a Cure
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Deidre Elizabeth Sechi was born on June 22, 1994. Throughout her lifetime she was characterized by a zest for life, be it in sports, music, the arts, the world of acting, nature, physics, or mathematics, and attacked life with a passion in everything she accomplished. She attended Iowa State University, majoring in mechanical engineering, and was involved in research there on paper-based microfluidic devices.
When she started her university training, she was diagnosed with DSRT (desmoplastic small round cell tumor) of the soft tissues, an extremely rare, aggressive form of cancer that attacks primarily children and young adults. Despite the surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation needed, she finished five semesters of university, was inducted into Tau Beta Pi (Engineering Honors Society) and the Society of Women Engineers, and was on the Dean’s List. She was also a member on the Teen Advisory Board at Children’s Mercy Hospital, making recommendations for improving conditions for teens and collaborating on a chemotherapy tip sheet for patients. In addition, she was an honorary speaker for the Supporting Kids Foundation.
On April 24, 2017, after a long and hard 4.5-year struggle with this disease, Deidre lost her life at the age of 22. Very few people have been afflicted with this disease, and thus little is known on how to combat it. Therefore, a memorial has been set up at Sloan-Kettering in Deidre’s name to help fund needed research into this cancer that strikes at such a young age.
Her family is asking those whose lives have been touched by cancer consider donating to this research memorial. A cure for one type of cancer might help find a cure for others.
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