Paul Ota, a former attorney who was originally from Selma, Calif., passed away Nov. 12 after a battle with blood cancer.

The Match for Paul Facebook page described Ota, who was 40, as “a brave and courageous man who touched so many hearts with his determination to raise awareness of blood cancer despite being very ill himself.”

He was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in early 2016.

Despite undergoing six rounds of chemotherapy and surgery, the cancerous mass returned, leading Ota to search for a bone marrow donor.

Ota’s search was complicated by his multiracial heritage. While neither of his siblings was a match, Ota, who was of Japanese and Mexican descent, underwent a bone marrow transplant in July, Asian American Donor Program’s Website states.

Ota obtained his bachelor’s degree in ethnic studies from the University of California, Berkeley, and obtained his juris doctorate from the McGeorge School of Law, Ota’s obituary published in the Fresno Bee states.