Ducklings lose their inspirational 'Bay'.

Byline: Curtis Anderson The Register-Guard

Bailey Irene Drager Santana, who was adopted by University of Oregon athletes as an official UO Duckling this past spring to help defray medical costs in her lengthy battle with brain cancer, died Sunday.

Santana was 8 years old, just three weeks shy of her ninth birthday.

Bailey, who was affectionately known as `Bay,' was the younger sister of Amanda Santana, a junior hurdler on the Oregon women's track and field team, and Marissa Santana, a multi-sport athlete at North Eugene High School.

`Her little body just gave up,' said Brandy Wormdahl, a friend of the family who coached both of Bailey's older sisters at North Eugene. `(Bailey) fought this for so long, I think she needed to go somewhere more peaceful.'

Besides her sisters, Bailey is survived by her mother, Pam Drager Santana, and her father, John Santana.

Pam Santana lost her first husband to prostate cancer at the age of 42, less than two months after Bailey was born. When she remarried, John Santana brought his two daughters - Amanda and Marissa - to the new family. They live on a farm near Salem, where they own and operate Santana Crane Inc.

Bailey Santana was a student at Turner Elementary School in Salem. She was diagnosed with an inoperable brain stem glioma on March 22, 2005, when she was 7. At the time, doctors said she had three to six months to live.

The Santanas immediately flew to Houston to confer with doctors at Texas Children's Hospital and the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center about treatment options. Shortly after arriving, Bailey lapsed into a coma, and the Santanas were told by medical staff to say their goodbyes.

However, Bailey not only survived the night, she miraculously awoke from her coma several weeks later near the end of May 2005.

The Santanas flew back to Oregon on June 1 of that year. Bailey underwent further treatment at Legacy Emmanuel Hospital in Portland until she was deemed strong enough to return home the following month. She returned to school that fall and continued to defy the doctor's odds for more than a year.

The outpouring of support for Bailey was overwhelming.

Her inspirational story touched the lives of countless individuals and numerous fund-raising efforts were organized on her behalf, including youth soccer camps at North Eugene and the Oregon Student Athlete Advisory Committee's designation of Bailey as their 2005-06 UO Duckling.