A regatta with a purpose

June Casagrande

Emily Olvera was diagnosed with leukemia at age 7. Despite all odds,

she has survived with the help of an innovative drug.

Emily, now 14, will be one of the honored leukemia patients

representing this year’s Volvo Leukemia Cup Junior and One Design

Regatta.

Denyse Peters of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Tri-County

Chapter said that the Santa Ana youngster is evidence of medical

innovations that are helping fight an otherwise deadly disease.

She’s living with it,” Peters said.

The promising new drug, Gleevac, was developed through research

funded in part by the society, she said.

Along with 5-year-old Irvine resident Teresa Morrison, Emily will

be a face of hope for Sunday’s regatta.

Though it’s been around for almost a decade, the Leukemia Cup

Regatta will be held in Newport Harbor for the first time this year.

The race is actually two races: a “junior” event for sailors ages 9

to 18 within Newport Harbor and a “one design” regatta that will take

place outside of the harbor.

“One of the nice things about it is that the dollars raised here

in this region are actually used for research in this region,” Peters

said.

The race is one of 40 Volvo Leukemia Cup Regattas nationwide. Last

year’s local event, which took place in Dana Point, raised $255,000

for the national society’s stated mission “to cure leukemia,

lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and to improve the quality

of life of patients and their families.”

Money raised goes to research, patient advocacy and other

activities in service of this goal.

Leukemia kills more children younger than 15 than any other

disease. Lymphoma, which like leukemia and myeloma is a cancer of the

blood, is on the rise. This year, 105,000 Americans will be diagnosed

with leukemia; 59,000 will die of the disease.

“It’s a really sad disease, especially when you see little

children going through it,” Peters said. “But progress is being

made.”