RIO DE JANEIRO Olympian Ian Lariba has been diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) and is in dire need of blood donation for her quick recovery.
Lariba is the country’s first table tennis Olympian, having qualified for Rio last year. She is a three-time University Athletic Association of the Philippines Most Valuable Player and two-time Athlete of the Year in Seasons 77 and 78 from De La Salle University.
The athlete needs Type O positive blood donors. The 22-year-old Cagayan-born athlete only learned of her ailment on Tuesday morning. There is no confirmed cure for the AML but there are treatments that can lower the effects of the cancer.
“We request the Lasallian community to extend assistance and support to Yan Yan during this time,” De La Salle Sports said in a statement.
Lariba qualified for Rio with her 11th-place finish in the 2016 International Table Tennis Federation-Asian Olympic Qualification Tournament in Hong Kong early last year.
She, however, bowed out of the preliminary round after absorbing a 7-11, 11-13, 9-11, 7-11 loss to Han Xing of Congo.
The Table Tennis Association of Philippines also called for support to its athlete, a two-time Southeast Asian Games campaigner.