Telangana student dies of blood cancer in US, family seeks help to bring body home

Hyderabad: A young woman from Telangana’s Nalgonda district has died in the US after a sudden and severe bout of blood cancer, triggering shock and sorrow in her hometown. The student, identified as Priyanka from Pendanapally village, had travelled to the United States in 2023 for higher studies.

She completed her master’s degree from the University of Alabama at Huntsville (UAH) and was actively looking for a job under the OPT (Optional Practical Training) programme. The aim: repay her education loan and support her family back home.

Everything changed on 5 May, when she was diagnosed with blood cancer. Her condition deteriorated rapidly, and she was rushed to hospital. On 7 May, after a critical brain haemorrhage, doctors declared her brain dead. She passed away on the morning of 14 May.

News of her death sent waves of grief through Pendanapally. Her family is now appealing to the government for urgent help in bringing her body back to India for final rites.