Neisha's Story

Neisha and her daughter Chyanne did something that few mothers and daughters ever get to do.

They gave each other the gift of life.

Neisha had already fought Hodgkin lymphoma twice when she received the devastating news: the cancer had returned a third time.

She needed a bone marrow transplant and there were no matches found in the bone marrow registry.

But there still was one hope: her daughter Chyanne.

Neisha and her husband, Steve, grappled with how to best approach their daughter to ask if she wanted to be tested.

Their worrying was unnecessary though. Chyanne didn’t hesitate.

“I was just happy I could save my mom's life,” says Chyanne. “For her to be here with me.”

Chyanne donated her bone marrow at a children’s hospital and it was transported that same day to her mom who was at Moffitt Cancer Center.

The following day, Chyanne was sitting on her mom’s hospital bed seeing for herself the benefits of the sacrifice she had made. “It was so overwhelming,” she says.

Chyanne was not just a reason for Neisha to fight her cancer but became the reason she could fight.

“I’m pretty sure my journey would've been different if I hadn't come to Moffitt,” says Neisha.

Courage. It’s a very apt description both mother and daughter share for each other.

“I admire her strength, her courage, her drive to do what she does,” says Neisha.

In turn, Chyanne says, “I see a lot of courage in my mom because she knows she will fight this for our family.”

Neisha is now in remission and cherishes every day with her family.

“I look at life like a fairy tale. If there's no one to love, there's nothing to look forward to,” says Neisha. “With all the love I've gotten from Steve and Chyanne, they give me all the hope.”