Inspiring Coast teen Abby Bosarge dies from leukemia. ‘She fought it to the very end.’
Abby Bosarge inspired everyone who knew her in the 18 years of her life, most of all in the way she faced death.
The Pass Christian High School graduate fought acute myeloid leukemia for more than a year before dying at home early Thursday morning.
Her mother, Jerusha Bosarge, updated Facebook followers Wednesday night on Abby’s condition after she went to the hospital for tests.
“Both lungs are ruined from consolidation of the pneumonia,” she wrote. “We are back home and trying to make her comfortable. It isn’t easy. Everything is going wrong on her body at once. Please pray for much less suffering right away and a quick and painless passing or a miracle.
At 5 a.m., Bosarge told members of Abby’s Army that she was gone. “It was not an easy passing,” she wrote. “She fought it to the very end. But her suffering is finally over. Thank you so much for your unwavering support during the unthinkable.
“Please continue to pray for our family. The world is a much darker place for us now and we will never be the same again.”
Pass High brings graduation to teen
Abby Bosarge defied medical odds by living as long as she did and wrung all the joy she could from life in the months leading up to her death.
Bosarge and her family had hoped a bone marrow transplant would save her. She endured potent chemotherapy beforehand, but was unable to have the transplant because leukemia cells lingered in her bone marrow.
Instead, Abby went on hospice in April but immediately began checking items off her bucket list. First up, the straight A student and athlete graduated high school.
She was too weak to travel, so Pass Christian High’s principal and students from the school traveled to a beach in Galveston, where the Make-A-Wish Foundation had rented a condominium for Abby and her family, including four siblings, mother Jerusha Bosarge and father Dr. Joseph “Joey” Bosarge.
Abby defied the odds again and made it back home to Pass Christian, where she spent time with family and friends. When she was stronger, another round of chemotherapy extended her life and time for that bucket list.
Abby Bosarge checks off bucket list items
She and her family went to Disney World. Abby also video-chatted with soccer star Abby Wambach. Abby Bosarge was an accomplished athlete and soccer player herself. She played on Pass High’s soccer team, and had won a position as kicker and wide receiver with Gulf Coast Monarchy, professional tackle football for women.
She also chatted with other favorite celebrities and received gifts from comedian Seth Rogen.
Abby wanted to experience a wedding, so her family arranged that, too. Vendors offered the venue, an elaborate multi-tiered wedding cake, cotton candy and many other extras.
Photos show Abby and “groom” marching with a second-line band into the venue, and her reciting vows in a flowing wedding dress accented with lace and dancing after the ceremony with family and friends.
She wore a big smile throughout the June extravaganza.
Her last big foray was to a Harry Styles concert Oct. 7 in Florida, where she was a bit dehydrated but made it to Disney and the Styles show.
“We are seizing the day!!” her mother wrote of Facebook. “We will worry about the medical situation when we get home. “
Abby and her group wore masks and were safely seated away from others during the show.
COVID crushes Abby’s college hopes
In her last days, the rapid spread of COVID-19 made it difficult for Abby to enjoy her freedom.
Abby had earned at 32 on her ACT test shortly before she was diagnosed with leukemia on June 3, 2020.
One of her top three bucket-list items was to attend Rollins College in Florida. She was accepted on a scholarship but was “crushed” when she couldn’t attend because widespread COVID cases would make it impossible for her to receive cancer treatment in Florida, her mother wrote in a public Facebook post.
In the end, Abby decided against another round of brutal chemotherapy. She could not bear to leave family and friends. She was ready to let go.
In August, her mother informed her followers on the Facebook page Abby’s Army, making one last request on her daughter’s behalf.
“Please pray for comfort and peace and an easy exit,” Jerusha Bosarge wrote. “We are terrified and broken.”
Yet Abby rallied again to enjoy family and friends awhile longer.
Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.
This story was originally published October 28, 2021 at 8:25 AM.
