For David and Mary Hubbell of Fisher, every day spent with their 18-year-old daughter, Katy, feels like a treasure.

Katy Hubbell was 4 years old in 1997 when doctors diagnosed her with a life-threatening bone marrow disease called aplastic anemia.

The disease prevented Katy's body from producing enough blood cells to keep her alive, and at least one doctor gave the Fisher girl a year to live.

But Katy and her family received new hope when she received a bone marrow transplant in Houston, followed by rounds of chemotherapy treatment. Community members offered their prayers and put on fundraisers to help pay for the family's bills.

Nearly 13 years after the life-changing procedure, Katy Hubbell is a senior at Fisher High School, where she has a part in the school play, completes anime drawings and plans to go to college.

"Katy continues to amaze us, and every day with this smiling girl is a gift," said Katy's mother, Mary Hubbell. "The experience changed us as people and made us realize that life is so short."

David Hubbell took his daughter to a pediatrician at Carle after she began receiving an abnormal number of bruises in 1997. Blood tests showed Katy's platelet level was dangerously low.

When her red and white cell counts started to fall, Katy was transferred to Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, where she was diagnosed with aplastic anemia, along with lymphoma.

"Patients with severe aplastic anemia have no immune system," Mary Hubbell said. "They can't be outside of a hospital environment, and any kind of infection can be very life-threatening."

Katy was kept at home to avoid infection, and visitors had to scrub themselves before entering the home.

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13 years after a bone-marrow transplant, Katy Hubbell plans for college

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