Bone marrow donor recruitment drive set June 27
The residents of Coastal Club community will host an awareness and donor registry drive to support a young Lewes resident who is battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia and in desperate need of a bone marrow transplant to save his life.
The event is set for 12 to 4 p.m., Sunday, June 27, at the Lighthouse Club at Coastal Club, 19153 Marblehead Drive, Lewes.
In February, 19-month-old Mylz Anderson-Finney was diagnosed with ALL, the most common type of cancer in children. Mylz has received chemotherapy treatments at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, but his cancer has been resistant. His doctors say he will need a bone marrow transplant and CAR T-cell therapy in order to survive.
Mylz’s case is complicated by a genetic mutation and his mixed-race identity; his mom is white and his dad is African-American. Mylz’s best chance of finding a match is with someone of similarly mixed ancestry.
Working with Gift of Life Marrow Registry, Mylz’s family, with support from Lewes community members, is searching for a marrow match to potentially help save his life, while spreading awareness about the dire need for diversity in the national and worldwide registries.
To join the Gift of Life registry, donors simply swab the inside of their cheeks and complete a registration questionnaire. Particularly urged to attend and join the registry are 18- to 35-year-olds who are in good health, the ideal demographic for successful transplants, and those of biracial background.
Those unable to attend in person can request a swab kit to be delivered; go to giftoflife.org/Match4Mylz. To hold a virtual or in-person donor recruitment drive, email Traci Ackerman at tackerman@giftoflife.org.
