Campus mourns student’s passing

Deanna DiClemente, 21, a fourth-year BBA student at Wilfrid Laurier University passed away Friday morning in a Hamilton hospital after a battle with leukemia.

DiClemente, who was diagnosed last year, had been undergoing treatment in Seattle, Washington and returned to Ontario at the beginning of November. Her parents and two younger sisters were with her at the time.

“We held our own vigil for Deanna Saturday night at our house,” one of DiClemente’s roommates Laura McMillan said. “We got all the students together that knew her and lit a bunch of candles and did a walk together to the Quad [on campus].”

Heavily involved in campus groups in her time at Laurier, DiClemente was an Orientation Week Icebreaker last year, participated in Fashion n’ Motion and was a ballet instructor.

DiClemente’s friends and roommates had been raising money for cancer research throughout her battle, including events in Toronto and at Waterloo’s Cameo nightclub Oct. 5, raising a total of approximately $40,000.

Donations to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada will be collected and a card of condolence will be available through the Dean of Students Office.

DiClemente’s family will be consulted about the possibility of holding a memorial at the university.

The Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union is providing buses to the funeral tomorrow at St. Matthew’s Church in Oakville. Buses will leave from the Science Building at 9 a.m.