Jun 17, 2009 8:23 am US/Pacific
After Beating Cancer As A Baby, Girl Graduates HS
ANAHEIM, Calif. (CBS) ―
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Stephanie Rudat graduated from Katella High School Tuesday.
CBS
Stephanie Rudat is not your ordinary high school graduate.
When she was just six weeks old, Rudat was diagnosed with a rare form of Leukemia. She underwent her first bone marrow transplant at just 5 months old.
Her disease relapsed after the procedure and her insurance policy -- which had paid for more than $1 million in treatments -- expired.
At just 14 months old, Rudat's only hope for life was another bone marrow transplant from an unrelated donor.
The family searched the National Registry, raised funds for the procedure, and Medi-Cal stepped in to assist with payments. In 1992, she received a transplant from an anonymous donor.
Now a senior from Katella High School, Rudat is a healthy young woman who will be graduating at Glover Stadium in Anaheim Tuesday.
Watch Rudat's journey from 1992 in the video player.
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