Rihanna's 6-Year-Old "Angel on Earth" Loses Leukemia Battle

Jasmina Anema, who found a bone-marrow donor with the singer's help, died Wednesday night

By Natalie Finn Jan 29, 2010 4:35 AMTags
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Not all inspirational stories have a happy ending.

Rihanna is mourning the death of 6-year-old Jasmina Anema, a cancer patient who underwent a bone-marrow transplant last year after the singer helped find a compatible donor.

Jasmina died last night, barely 13 months after being diagnosed with NK cell leukemia, a particularly aggressive and rare form of the disease.

"I am incredibly heartbroken that Jasmina has passed away," Rihanna said in a statement today. "She was such a brave and special child. She showed more strength and spirit than many adults I have met. I feel blessed that I was able to have her in my life, and know that through her example she has saved many lives. She was truly an angel on earth."

Jasmina was admitted to NYU Langone Medical Center on Monday after experiencing trouble breathing. She was diagnosed as having pneumonia in both lungs and her condition quickly deteriorated, according to the New York Daily News.

Her mom, Thea Anema, wrote Jan. 20 on the Twitter page set up for her daughter's cause that Jasmina was about to start a new experimental treatment for the cancer that, after a brief remission, returned a few months after her transplant.

"At 10:55 on January 27th, after a long battle, Jasmina lost her fight with leukemia. Thanks for all of your support," Thea wrote last night.

After hearing about Jasmina's plight last February, Rihanna got involved with DKMS Americas to help find a compatible bone-marrow donor for the child.

With help from her new celebrity pals, who also included Kelly Rowland and New York Governor David Paterson, Jasmina's doctors found a match and she had the surgery in June.

Rihanna awarded Jasmina a special award for her bravery in May at the 3rd Annual DKMS Gala, and the two were reunited at an album signing in November.

Thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the beaming child also scored a 10-minute reception in the Oval Office with none other than President Obama later that month.

"It was like they were really best buddies," Thea Anema told the Daily News. "It was just how he spoke to her, like a daddy. It was so sweet...She feels very special."

The president offered this statement today: "Jasmina showed tremendous bravery in the face of adversity, and her ability to stay positive throughout her battle was an inspiration to me and to all those she touched.

"As the parents of two young girls, our hearts particularly go out to Jasmina's devoted mother Thea. Our thoughts and prayers are with her and with all who knew and loved Jasmina."

—Additional reporting by Lindsay Miller