Estella Kim and her husband were finalizing the adoption of their 2 year old foster son and preparing to welcome a new infant into their home when their world was turned upside down. Estella was feeling pain and fatigue and went to the emergency room. After some blood tests, she received a shocking diagnosis: acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) Philadelphia +. While they were able to finalize the adoption of their son, they had to step away from adding a new baby to their family. ALL is a fast-growing and deadly blood cancer and a blood stem cell donation is Estella’s only hope for a cure.
A need for more Asian donors
Patients are most likely to match donors who share their same ethnic background because genetic traits are used to determine a match are inherited. Estella is most likely to match someone who shares her Korean heritage. Currently, Asian donors make up only 5% of the Be The Match Registry and less than 1% are Korean. Right now, Estella doesn’t have a matching donor and time is running out.
A plea for help
Estella and her family encourage others to join the registry by doing a simple cheek swab. “I am someone’s wife, I am someone’s daughter and someone’s family,” says Estella through tears.
Join the registry today and help save Estella.
