(NAPSA)—Seven-year-old Julian Morales seems like any other young boy—heloves playing video games, watching baseball, spendingtimewithhislittle sister and eating chocolate ice cream—butthere’s a bigdifference. ‘The Problem Unlike most children, Julidn suffers from rare,life-threatening blood disorder. His only hope for a cure is an unrelated bloodstem cell donor. “It’s verydifficult becauseJulidn can't do everything like other children his age”said Mayra Garcia, Julidn's mother. “We want to see our son healed. But that may not happenif we cannotfind a blood stem cell match” Julian's search for his perfect donor is more difficult because ofhis Hispanic ethnicity, which is a blend of Mexican and Nicaraguan.Even atthe largest and most diverse blood stem cellregistry in the world, only 7 percent of the more than 19 million registry members are Hispanic. As a result, Hispanic patients You can helpsave children hopingfor lifesaving blood stem cell transplants. https://join.bethematch.org/saveJulian and complete the online registration fighting blood cancer such as leukemia form. You'll get a swab kit with easyor blooddisorders have only a 46 percent to-follow instructions on how to comchanceoffinding fully matched blood plete the registration process at home stem cell donor comparedto a 77 percent and return the swab samples in the chancefor those whoare white. Because mail. Becominga donoris safe, free and people are more likely to match someone oftheir same ethnic background,Julian’s confidential. the national Be The Match Registry. The Match Registry members go on to donate toa patient. If someoneis identified as a genetic match for a searching patient,he orshewill be asked to donate blood stemcells. Mostoften, blood stem family is hoping more Hispanics will join People from diverse backgrounds, particularly Hispanic or mixed ethnic- ities, can register to become a potential donor and help save life. Those between the ages of 18 and 44 are most urgently neededsince they're requested by transplant doctors more than 85 percent of the time and research shows that these donors provide the greatest chance for transplant success. What You Can Do To be a part of the solution, visit HowIt Works About one in every 430 U.S. Be cell donation is a nonsurgical, outpa- tient procedure similar to donating platelets or plasma. Learn More Forfurther facts aboutblood stemcell transplants, how they can cure blood cancers and how you canhelp others, go to www.BeTheMatch.org.
