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19-year-old UST student in viral post passes away due to cancer

19-year-old UST student in viral post passes away due to cancer

By MB Online The 19-year-old student of University of Santo Tomas (UST), who went viral on Facebook because of her unwavering fighting spirit while battling cancer, has died on Saturday. Maxine Blanco, a legal management student, has passed away, her boyfriend Gab Sta. Ana confirmed on Facebook Saturday. “Max fought hard and I'm thankful for everything. No more pain, no more suffering. She might left us, but her spirit will always be here. I love you Maxine,” Sta. Ana captioned a photo of them together on his post.

Blanco succumbed to osteosarcoma or bone cancer. She was diagnosed last July 2018. On March 20, Sta. Ana shared their love story through a series of photos on Facebook which has garnered 84,000 reactions and 111,000 shares as of this writing. Sta. Ana and Blanco’s love story began when they were still eight graders in Sacred Heart Academy of Pasig. They were inseparable, even in college, since both of them passed the entrance exam in UST and became Thomasians.

The couple of six years also shared the same building in the university, the St. Raymund de Peñafort Building, home of the students from the College of Commerce and the Faculty of Arts and Letters. Despite the side effects of chemotheraphy, Blanco still managed to attend school as seen in one of the photos. Blanco also had a Facebook page, Live Life To The MAX, dedicated to her and followed the story of her life battling cancer. According to the page, her wake will be at the Christ the King Parish Church Chapel C, in Greenmeadows, Quezon City. A mass and blessing will also be held at 6 p.m. tonight.

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