Friends raise money for student's transplant

By Jacqueline Sit, NEWS 9

STILLWATER, Okla. -- An OSU foreign exchange student is thousands away from home and battling cancer.

Rina Fitria was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma two years ago.

"Then I found out I had cancer and that was the most shocking and devastating thing I've ever heard, because you rarely heard of anyone the age of 19 getting cancer," she said.

After four rounds chemotherapy, Fitria learned she need a bone marrow transplant.

"I just want to have a full life and out of all these things I want to do and that's what keeps me going," she said.

Fitria is an exchange student from Indonesia so she has no federal or state funds to support her.  The cost for a bone marrow transplant is $100,000.

Family, friends and strangers, have raised more than $50,000.  They've organized a garage sale from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the First Christian Church in Stillwater. A fund has been established at Banc First in Stillwater.

"I thought for the first time when I needed that much money I thought it would be the end, but now I feel revived again to know that if I just keep myself healthy I can finally do this transplant," Fitria said.