Keylla Ivonne Hernández Ramos (May 10, 1973,

Mayagüez, Puerto Rico Mayagüez (, ) is a city and the eighth-largest municipality in Puerto Rico. It was founded as Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria de Mayagüez, and is also known as ''La Sultana del Oeste'' (The Sultaness of the West), ''Ciudad de las Aguas Pura ...

– December 31, 2018,

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan (, , ; Spanish for "Saint John") is the capital city and most populous municipality in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2020 census, it is the 57th-largest city under the jur ...

), better known as Keylla Hernández, was a Puerto Rican television reporter. She worked for

WAPA-TV WAPA-TV (channel 4) is a Spanish language in the United States, Spanish-language Independent station (North America), independent television station in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is owned by :es:Hemisphere Media Group, Hemisphere Media Group, w ...

. She was the co-anchor of the station's morning news show, ''Noticentro al Amanecer''.

Personal

Hernández had a husband, Robin, and two sons. She graduated in journalism from the

Universidad del Sagrado Corazón Universidad del Sagrado Corazón (English: University of the Sacred Heart), abbreviated "USC" and often called simply Sagrado, is a private Catholic university in Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is one of the oldest and largest educational ins ...

in 1995. During her cancer battle, Hernández befriended

Puerto Rican Independence Party The Puerto Rican Independence Party ( es, Partido Independentista Puertorriqueño, PIP) is a social-democratic political party in Puerto Rico that campaigns for the independence of Puerto Rico from the United States. Those who follow the PIP ...

's politician and governor candidate

Juan Dalmau Juan Manuel Dalmau Ramírez (born July 23, 1973) is a Puerto Rican politician, attorney and a former candidate for Governor of Puerto Rico for the Puerto Rican Independence Party.Marilyn Pupo Marilyn Pupo (born November 23, 1950) is a Cuban-born Puerto Rican actress, singer and television show host. She is known for her stint as a television show host at Telemundo Puerto Rico's Noche de Gala alongside Eddie Miro, and for starring in ...

, among others.

Disease

During 2015, Hernández went to a doctor's checkup following a chest injury;

x-rays An X-ray, or, much less commonly, X-radiation, is a penetrating form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. Most X-rays have a wavelength ranging from 10 Picometre, picometers to 10 Nanometre, nanometers, corresponding to frequency, ...

and further testing revealed she had lung cancer. Hernández made a public announcement concerning her diagnosis during a live broadcast. At first she showed some improvements and she briefly returned to co-anchor ''Noticentro al Amanecer'', but was re-diagnosed during the summer of 2018, this time with

liver cancer Liver cancer (also known as hepatic cancer, primary hepatic cancer, or primary hepatic malignancy) is cancer that starts in the liver. Liver cancer can be primary (starts in liver) or secondary (meaning cancer which has spread from elsewhere to th ...

. She flew to

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

, for monthly treatments and further testing at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute.

Death

Hernandez died at a Puerto Rican hospital on December 31, 2018, surrounded by her family. Hernández's funeral was partly held at the

Palacio de Recreación y Deportes The Palacio de Recreación y Deportes German Wilkins Vélez Ramírez is a coliseum located in the city of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. It has capacity for 5,500 spectators. It was remodeled in preparation for the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Ga ...

coliseum in her native

. Her funeral was broadcast live to

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Her ashes were scattered in Puerto Rico. In addition, many people came from across Puerto Rico to see her for the last time at her Mayagüez wake.

Legacy

Governor

Ricardo Rosselló Ricardo Antonio Rosselló Nevares (; born March 7, 1979) is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 2017 to 2019. He resigned on August 2, 2019, after protests related to the Telegramgate scandal. He is the s ...

expressed that "(he was) lamenting the sad news of the passing of Keylla Hernández. Her battle against cancer was an example of tenacity that inspired many in a similar situation. (Rosselló's wife) Beatriz and I send a solidarity hug to her family, her co-workers at @WapaTV, and her friends".

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...

mayor,

Carmen Yulín Cruz Carmen Yulín Cruz Soto (born February 25, 1963) is a Puerto Rican politician who served as mayor of the city of San Juan, Puerto Rico from 2013 to 2020. From 2009 through 2013, Cruz served in the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico. Ea ...

. meanwhile, declared that the city's flags would fly at half-mast.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hernandez, Keylla 1973 births 2018 deaths Deaths from cancer in Puerto Rico Deaths from liver cancer People from Mayagüez, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican television journalists Puerto Rican Catholics Puerto Rican actresses Universidad del Sagrado Corazón alumni

Personal

Disease

Death

Legacy

See also

References