FilAm with leukemia appeals for help to the Asian American community!

The ethnically diverse Daly City community joins up with the Asian American Donor Program (AADP) on March 6 to lend a helping hand to those in need of bone marrow and stem cell transplants.

Billed as “Help Save A Life,” the donor drive will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Serramonte Shopping Center, where the Filipino community in particular, is being encouraged to show their support for a local Filipina with leukemia.

Michelle Crisologo Ignacio, a 32-year-old Filipina American recently diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia, is a patient in search of the right match for a bone marrow transplant and is asking local Filipino Americans, as well as people of all ethnicities, to attend the event and register.

Each day there are about 6,000 patients searching for a life-saving bone marrow or stem cell match, and with a shortage of Filipinos nationally registered in the donor database (about 48,000 FilAms), the task of finding a correct match for Michelle has been a daunting challenge, but one that can be overcome through the help of others.

Ethnicity is crucial when matching patients with donors, as patients from diverse ethnic backgrounds are less likely to find a matching donor.

The donor drive, coordinated by the non-profit AADP, is part of a three-month-long tour that includes registration stops in Sacramento and Central Valley, as well as throughout most of the Bay Area.

Some of the requirements for registering to be a donor include being between the ages of 18 and 60, be in good general health with no serious, ongoing lower back problems, and be willing to have a cheek swab (no blood drawn)—a process that takes only 10 minutes.

FilAm