(H/T Angry Asian Man)
Meet Baby Isaac. Last year, Isaac was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia at just 6 months old, after suffering low-grade fevers and loss of appetite. Devastated by the diagnosis, Isaac’s parents rushed Isaac to the hospital, where has spent the last year bravely undergoing a series of painful treatments, including bone marrow biosies, spinal taps, and chemotherapy. Eventually, Isaac will need a bone marrow transplant to survive.
Write Isaac’s friends and family:
Isaac has been so strong and brave throughout this journey…he’s amazing to see! Through the multiple bone marrow biopsies, spinal taps, chemotherapy, and numerous medications, he is still touching those around him with his smile and spirit.
None of these medical procedures come cheap, so his family have set up a YouCaring campaign to offset his family’s medical costs. Even if you have just a few dollars to spare, please donate to Team Isaac via YouCaring, a crowd-sourced fundraising website for medical expenses!
In addition, a recent update suggests that the chemotherapy has become less effective for Isaac. Isaac, like many leukemia patients — and particularly those of colour — struggle to find matches in the system, due to the low rates of registration and donation among Asian American, African American and Latino donors.
Asian American leukemia patients on average find a match 73% of the time (compared to nearly 90% for White patients), which demands greater awareness and bone marrow donation registration within our community. Getting registered for a bone marrow donation is very easy:
- Go to BeTheMatch.com.
- Fill out the form to request a donor packet in the mail.
- When the packet arrives, follow the simple directions to painlessly swab your cheeks with the q-tips and mail the samples back to the lab.
If you are a match, you will be contacted by Be The Match with additional information about how to become a bone marrow donor. You also have the choice at that time to opt out of donating; registering is not a commitment that you must donate.
I’m registered. Why aren’t you?
Act Now! Please help baby Isaac and all the other leukemia patients out there, including some whom we have lost to this devastating disease, by 1) donating to Team Isaac via YouCaring!; 2) registering with Be The Match; and 3) sharing this post with your friends and family!
