Athens Mayor Nancy Denson Presents 'Heart of the City' to Patel Family

During a celebration of the life of Athens Academy student Kajal Patel on Sunday, Athens-Clarke Mayor Nancy Denson presented the Patel family with a special gift in honor of the young hero.

Kajal battled an immune disorder nearly all of her life.  In the fall of 2011, she suffered a stroke, and doctors told the family her best chance of recovery would involve a bone marrow transplant.

The odds seemed daunting -- a one in over 20,000 chance of finding a match -- but Kajal's classmates and teachers rallied around her and organized an incredible event to "Be a Hero for Kajal."

The world-record-breaking Marrow-Thon was held last spring and more than 4,000 individuals, including many University of Georgia students, registered as possible bone marrow donors with Be The Match during a seven-day period.

Amazingly, the for Kajal, but she had to wait for her health to improve before undergoing the procedure in January of this year. Her brother Anshul was the donor.

The transplant was successful, according to the family, but Kajal took a sudden turn for the worse and died on Feb. 25, 2013.

Though Kajal has passed, she leaves behind a legacy that will endure, evident by the many family members, friends, and classmates who remembered the thirteen year old on Sunday and vowed to continue to impact the world as she had done.

"The impact that Kajal's life has had on others no absolutely no bounds," remarked Kajal's sixth grade teacher, Drew Brantley. "There are literally thousands of people in this community, across the county and around the world that have been positively influenced and affected by Kajal, the bone marrow-thon, and everything that Kajal stands for."

"Kajal won the heart of all of our community," Mayor Denson said.  She then gifted the family a glass statue representing the Heart of the City "so that you'll remember that Athens-Clarke County and this whole community loved, and will always love, your little girl."

Donations in Kajal's memory may be made to the Fund for Youth Service and Leadership at PO Box 647, Watkinsville, GA 30677 or Athens Academy/Kajal PO Box 6548 Athens, GA 30604.

See also:

• Athens Academy Student Kajal Patel Loses Battle with Immune Disorder
• Athens Academy Arranges for VoiceQuilt to Unite Messages of Support for Kajal Patel
• Record-Breaking Marrow-Thon Yields Matches For Kajal Patel
• Marrow-Thon Breaks World Record
• Athens Academy Students Hope 24-Hour Marrow-Thon Will Save Sick Classmate