June 21, 2010
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Olivia and Julia's story

When life falls apart, what holds it together? For the Ibarra family, it was faith, hope and love – with love being the greatest.

Jackie and Henry Ibarra lived an active, orderly life with their three daughters. Work, school, sports and church filled their days.

Suddenly 14-year-old Olivia was diagnosed with leukemia. “I was devastated,” said Jackie. “Our world crumbled.”  

If chemotherapy treatments proved ineffective, then a marrow transplant would be  needed. Usually, there is only a 30% chance that a donor will be found in the same family. For the Ibarras, both sisters, Julia and Henrianna, were perfect matches for Olivia.

Eight difficult months of chemotherapy provided a brief time of remission, but the cancer returned. Olivia responded, “I had to be positive for others, have faith and be strong.” Middle sister Julia was selected as the preferred marrow donor.

“I didn’t show it, but I was nervous and scared. But me being scared was nothing compared to having to live with cancer,” Julia said about the marrow donation procedure. “I wanted to change her life. It’s a great thing to do.” 

The miracle exchange took place on October 20, 2008 when Olivia received a successful marrow transplant from Julia.

While the ordeal certainly effected their lives, they sought to turn the experience into a positive influence on others.

As a result of her bout with leukemia, Olivia feels led to study biochemistry or micro biology when she enters college. “God gave me this struggle to get down the right path,”  she says.  Olivia also promotes donation at her high school blood drives. During her fight, she received numerous transfusions of red blood cells and platelets; she is grateful for what donors do.

Julia entered an essay contest on how to use the Internet to change the community for the better. Her winning entry idea was the creation of a Web site to encourage people to register as potential donors.

The Ibarras held together during this nightmare, sharing the mutual bonds of love.

Sisters Olivia and Julia share even more – the gift of restored life. “She’s my hero,” says Olivia.

 In June 2010, Olivia spoke to chairpersons from the City of San Antonio about her experiences. She challenged them to meet their summer goals.