OREGON CITY — Eighth-graders at St. John the Apostle Church and School have organized a novena and special Mass dedicated to a classmate who has been diagnosed with a life-threatening blood disorder.

Jaden Cloyes, whose bone marrow has stopped producing red and white blood cells and platelets, has to have frequent transfusions and painful bone marrow tests. But through it all, classmates say, she hasn’t complained.

Aplastic anemia is a condition where the bone marrow does not produce a sufficient amount of new cells to replenish blood.

“Her courage and positive attitude have inspired everyone around her to not only be grateful for the gift of life, but to recognize the need for God’s help,” said a note to the parish from classmates Parker Shaffer, Sarah Brught, Chris Brught, Samantha Niyach and Heidi Olyali. “Jaden is amazing; instead of us comforting her, she comforts us as we try to cope and make sense of her illness.”

The novena runs from Friday, Aug. 5, through Monday Aug. 15, and asks for the intercession of Franciscan Sister Blessed Marianne Cope, who served people with leprosy on the Hawaiian island of Molokai in the late 1800s. She was known to have a special love for children in distress and it is believed that her first miracle was the healing of a 14-year-old girl from a fatal blood disease. People are invited to wear leis or other tropical attire to the 8 a.m. Mass on Aug. 15, to acknowledge Blessed Marianne’s love of Hawaii.

The parish, at 417 Washington St., will host a blood drive Wednesday, Aug. 17, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., in the parish center.  For more information, call 503-742-8200.

For the novena prayers, log on to  www.blessedmariannecope.org/Novena.html