Hope for Kai
Four-year-old Leukemia Patient Needs Your Help
Just four weeks ago, four-year-old Kai Anderson was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of leukemia - Philadelphia Chromosome-Positive Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. His only hope for survival is a bone marrow transplant.
Kai was diagnosed just one year after his father, David was diagnosed with Mantle Cell Lymphoma, also a rare and complicated form of cancer. Dealing with one cancer is hard enough, but trying to cope with two rare illnesses has been extremely trying on the Andersons.
DKMS, the world's largest bone marrow donor center, will hold a bone marrow donor drive at the Montessori School of Manhattan on Saturday, May 2nd. Kai's family hopes that with enough generous volunteers, they may be able to find a match for Kai and thousands of others just like him.
"We are overwhelmed by the enormous outpouring of support from our friends and the community," says Kai's parents Birgit and David. "It gives us strength and hope in this difficult situation to have the help of so many people."
According to DKMS, 70 percent of patients depend on complete strangers to give them a second chance at life. Because leukemia and other blood cancers affect people of all ages and ethnic backgrounds, it's important to collect as many donors as possible. The more diverse the pool of donors, the better chance a patient has at finding a match.
Registering to become a bone marrow donor takes less than 10 minutes! It consists of completing a registration form and swabbing the insides of your cheeks. Once you register with DKMS, you'll be listed in a national registry so any patient in need of a transplant could potentially find you as their match. Since it's founding in 1991, DKMS has facilitated more than 16,000 transplants. To learn more about the donation process or to become a donor visit the DKMS official website.
So remember, it's in all of our powers to give hope to families like the Andersons. Today, you may be able to save someone like Kai. Tomorrow, a stranger might help save someone you love.
Hope For Kai Bone Marrow Donor Drive
Saturday, May 2nd
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Montessori School of Manhattan
53 Beach Street
(between Hudson and Greenwich)
For additional drives, please visit the Kai's webiste.
Comments: 11
I am a donor already check and see if I could help
I am a donor already check and see if I could help
I am a donor already check and see if I could help
may god be with you and your family, i will be one if the donors for him this saturday.
god willing i be there is saturday
GOD BLESS
I would love to help this kid. This story really touched my heart. At the moment I am 8 months pregnant but would like to get information on what steps I should take to see if I am compatible with this kid.
I would love to help this kid. This story really touched my heart. At the moment I am 8 months pregnant but would like to get information on what steps I should take to see if I am compatible with this kid.
I would love to help this little boy i will be there saturday hope i can help.
Hi Jessie, even though you are pregnant now, you can still register and you will only be listed as an available donor on the registry several months after you have your baby. I wish the best to Kai and his family!
I would love to help in any way for Kai.
Im not to knowledgeable of the donor process, but can anyone tell me how race/ethnicity plays into the donation process?
Even if I cant be a donor, I still want to do anything I can to help little Kai.
I have mantle cell non hodgkins lymphoma and was diagnosed in March 2009 in the last stage. I am not doing chemo or bone marrow transplant. Please call contact me to learn of a way to get better. I had my 3rd pet scan today and the tumors are practically gone. It's amazing.