Gabriela Riquino

Gabriela Riquino was first diagnosed with bilateral retinoblastoma at four months old.  Shortly after her diagnosis, her right eye was removed at what would become her first of 47 surgeries.  This includes plastic surgeries and procedures to save her remaining eye. Gabriela has taken her story and channeled it into a passion that she discovered in high school.

“I want to be a pediatric clinical geneticist and work with kids who have diseases similar to mine. Childhood cancer only gets 4% of the budget for cancer research and I want to be part of changing this.”

This fall, Gabriela will attend the University of Florida where she will major in Biology with a pre-medical route.