Team Bianca

Team Bianca raises awareness of HLH and funds to support research into rare blood disorders like HLH and heart diseases like LDS, both affected Bianca.

Bianca Caltabiano passed away on 16th October 2013 at the age of 18 from secondary haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), a rare cancer-like blood disorder of the immune system. “Secondary HLH” is often diagnosed in teenagers and adolescents, and there is no family history of this disease. It may be associated with vaccinations, viral infections such as glandular fever (EBV virus) and other underlying diseases, principally autoimmune disorders and cancers.

Bianca was diagnosed with secondary HLH 6 weeks before her death. Prior to this she was well but had started running fevers for 3 weeks. At this time, Bianca was stable and having blood transfusions and had also commenced steroid and immunosuppressant treatments. She had only started to deteriorate a week before her death. Bianca started chemotherapy during this week and unfortunately in her last few days, she developed pneumonia then respiratory and kidney failure as a complication of this treatment and died.