Neither grave illness nor abrupt immigration from a foreign land could derail Nipomo High School seniors Onyinye Oriji and Souchen Sauv.

The 18-year-olds will receive their diplomas this evening when they graduate alongside 284 of their classmates, marking their mastery over potentially crushing odds that might have easily broken those with lesser strength.

In fact, Oriji's battle with sickle cell anemia, a debilitating and painful blood disease, and Sauv's struggle to learn English after immigrating from Cambodia at 16, served only to make both teens stronger and give their lives direction.

However, neither Onyinye Oriji (pronounced OH-nee OH-ree-gee) nor Souchen Sauv (pronounced Soo-chen Sawv ) seems to think of herself as extraordinary.

“I didn't think I was different from any other kid,” Oriji said. “I knew I was sick, but I didn't really care.”

As a child, Oriji “practically lived” in hospitals as she battled sickle cell - the same disease that claimed the lives of two of her elder siblings years before her birth.

With sickle cell, the body's red blood cells are “sickle” or “C” shaped instead of round.

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The cells' odd shape causes them to cluster together and block blood flow to limbs and vital organs, causing excruciating pain and sometimes death.

By the time she turned seven, Oriji became so ill that her doctors decided her only chance was to undergo a bone marrow transplant using marrow donated from her sister, Chioma, now 25.

The transplant was successful, and essentially cured Oriji of her disease, although she still undergoes regular testing to make sure the disease has not returned.

Years after the transplant, in 2004, Oriji - who is headed for the University of San Francisco in the fall - visited the Nigerian village of her ancestry, an experience she says changed her forever and cemented her resolve to become a pediatric hematologist and care for children with blood diseases.

One thing, however, particularly struck Oriji as she toured the rural village: Several families raising children with sickle cell did not have access to the big-city hospital, which was several hours away.

Thus, Oriji said, she also wants to return to Nigeria someday and build a place where rural families can stay in the city for extended lengths of time while their children receive treatment at the hospital.

“I don't know when I'm going to do that,” she said, “but I will.”

Sauv, too, turned a dramatic life experience into her driving force.

After leading a blissful childhood in Cambodia with two loving parents, Sauv received the shock of her life.

The people she thought were her parents were actually her adoptive parents.

What's more, Sauv's “real” father had been living in America for the past six years with her brothers, and wanted to send for her to join them.

“I was kind of like, ‘Is this true?'” Sauv said, the disbelief still apparent in her voice. “I didn't know what was happening at first.”

Thus, Sauv was forced to make a choice that would change everything.

“One part (of me) didn't want to come here because I loved my adoptive parents (more) than my dad,” she said, “But if you want to have a good life, the U.S. is the best place.”

So, in April 2006, Sauv boarded a plane to California and moved in with her father and three brothers in Nipomo.

Though she doesn't remember too many of the details, Sauv said her first day at Nipomo High was nerve-wracking.

“I didn't know anybody here,” she said. “I had a lot of questions, but I didn't ask the questions because I didn't know how to ask the questions.”

However, in the end, Sauv found her way, and she excelled in every course she took in the year-and-a-half she spent at Nipomo.

“She's really a self-advocate,” counselor Joe Hubbell said.

“I just have a lot of questions,” Sauv said with a bubbly laugh.

Adjusting to her new family and American culture proved challenging at times, but Sauv grew to love her father and embrace her classmates, she said.

“(The students) were so friendly,” Sauv said, noting that schools in America, unlike Cambodian schools, encourage students to express their emotions.

“You should show your emotions ... You can't keep it in your head,” she said.

Sauv's experience at Nipomo was so positive that she plans to enroll at Allan Hancock College in the fall on her way toward becoming a high school math teacher.

Though she had plans to become a dentist, “I figured out I didn't like chemistry,” Sauv joked.

The Nipomo High School graduation takes place at 5 p.m. today at Titan Stadium, 525 N. Thompson Road.

Natalie Ragus can be reached at 347-4580 or nragus@santamariatimes.com.

June 13, 2008