Diana Smith: Community Rallies To Save Mother Dying Of Cancer

Florida mother Diana Smith has been waging a fierce battle against leukemia over the last six months, all while raising her three-year-old son Cameron.

"I want to live to see my son grow up and get on with my life," Smith told CBS4's Ted Scouten.

Now, finally in remission after months of chemotherapy, Smith urgently needs a bone marrow transplant. Her insurance agreed to pay for her transplant, but wouldn't cover the cost of surgery to remove the bone marrow from the donor. Inspired by this young mother's story, Smith's community banded together to raise over $133,000 to fund the surgery.

Everything looked hopeful for Smith, until she learned her insurance had decided to deny her transplant, citing an increase in Smith's income. She had been contacted by Social Security, who informed her she was eligible to receive checks to help her care for her young son. Because Smith accepted the money, insurance ruled that her income was now too high for her transplant to be covered.

Since her story broke on local Florida news stations, state lawmakers, including Senator Dave Aronberg, stepped in on Smith's behalf. As of Monday, WSVN reports, Smith's surgery will go on as planned.

As a result of medical tests at JMH on Monday, Smith was too weak to express her gratitude to those who helped make the surgery a reality once again. However, her young son, Cameron, said, "Thank you, everybody, for saving my mommy's life."

To save the life of a leukemia patient like Diana Smith, healthy Americans can register as bone marrow donors with DKMS America.