04/30/2023
Today marks 5 years since this beautiful soul left this world. Although she may not be here physically any more, her bright light still shines on through so many. She would be amazed on how far her foundation has come. With every parent basket we give to a family, for every toy donation sent to the children's hospitals around the country her light is touching each and everyone who comes in contact with it. Spreading her love and kindness that would overflow from her.
R.I.P. sweet angel you are so missed 👼
Please keep Yvonne Bell-Alanis' family and friends in your thoughts and prayers as it is the one year anniversary of her passing. She was diagnosed with leukemia in 2017, and being a teenager going through cancer, she left behind a beautiful legacy of love, compassion, and giving.
Yvonne is described by her mother Tiffany as being a soul that had to be experienced to feel her compassion, love, and sense of humor. Tiffany says her daughter has many nicknames, but a favorite is “Monk,” short for Monkey.
Yvonne was a passionate girl who was born with a heart of gold. Tiffany describes her as always wanting to help others, always putting other people first, and always thinking of her family and friends no matter what she was doing, whether that was making art (she was very artistic - she loved to draw, paint, and create things out of nothing. Tiffany says she had a knack for putting robots together), going shopping, or whatever she was doing. Yvonne loved to give!
She loved science. Tiffany says she was awarded many times for her STEM projects through school, and even after she passed away. She received an award for her academic achievements in science just a week after she was gone. Tiffany says Yvonne wanted to be a medical examiner when she grew up. She wanted to practice medicine, but didn't want to cause other people to be in pain. Tiffany says her daughter explained her medical examiner dream with “they're dead, they can't feel a thing.” She loved making other people laugh. She was a prankster like her mom - they had lots of fun with it. She absolutely adored her siblings and there wasn't a single waking moment that she didn't think of them. She loved photography - she enjoyed capturing every moment she could. Tiffany says that Yvonne had a beautiful singing voice when she decided to let it out.
Yvonne was 15 when she was diagnosed, and Tiffany says that on diagnosis day, she was sent to Portland, OR from Eugene, OR, and they said to each other: "Maximum Effort." She loved Deadpool. As she went through treatment, she had every angry, depressing, and negative thought and emotion that a teenager can have in her situation. Her mom would tell her, "Baby girl, it's okay to feel these emotions. It's a natural feeling to be angry or depressed. It's ok to visit these feelings, but do not stay. There is always a silver lining to every situation, even if it's the smallest sliver."
As for her foundation, The Orange Ribbon Foundation, she would say that she wanted to be the light in someone's darkness. So that is the slogan for her foundation - "be the light in someone else's darkness." Tiffany says she tries her hardest to follow this advice as she journeys forward in life without her daughter. Her foundation creates gift baskets to give to parents whose children are in the hospital to help ease the chaos and stress of being in their situation. Even in the fight of her life, Yvonne looked past her own pain and saw her mom struggling with what should have been easy but wasn't because of the situation.
Tiffany explains that Yvonne turned 16 after two lung surgeries with days apart without proper medications because her counts were too low and they didn't want to risk her bleeding or contracting an infection. She contracted aspergillus fungal infection. Tiffany thinks Yvonne had a pretty good sweet 16 considering the circumstances. Yvonne was able to leave the hospital for a few hours on a "day pass.” As she walked off the floor, all the staff came together to sing her happy birthday. When Yvonne and family came back to the hospital, they had a party in one of the concave rooms. She was surrounded by friends and family from Oregon and California.
Yvonne didn't want to die - her mom asks what kid does? - and so her mom says she never really talked about dying. Tiffany wants her daughter to be remembered as the loving, kind, compassionate, funny, unique, corkey soul she was. Yvonne always wanted to help people even when she was going down her own dark path. Tiffany also says she wants Yvonne to be remembered for her glowing eyes, beautiful smile, contagious laugh,and her goofiness.
