Even if you're not a match for Tami... You could save someone else in need . . .
Aside from Japanese and people of Asian descent in general the greatest need is for Hapa or those of mixed Caucasian and Asian ethnicities to be tested and for them to join the national registry. Children of Asian/Caucasian couples face challenging odds if they are ever in need of bone marrow or stem cell transplant. Being of two ethnicites doesn't improve their odds, it actually makes them worse.
Below are the stories of others in need. Some have suffered heartbreaking relapses but none have given up hope and all have supporters working hard to find them each a donor. The beauty is that for every person who signs up for them, there might be a match for my cousin. And all of the people who register for Tami but don't match her tissue type? They may match someone else. Who knows, maybe you will be the miracle match for one of the people below:
On August 24, 2009, Janet Liang was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (bi-phenotypic) while finishing her bachelor's degree as an International Development Studies major and Education minor. A loving and dedicated friend to many who knew her at UCLA, she was a healthy, hardworking, and extremely passionate student who fell victim to this blood cancer at only 22-years old.
Rushed to the UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center immediately after her diagnosis, she has just recently completed the induction phase of her chemotherapy treatment, which is often the most difficult for patients to endure. Now she is faced with the daunting task of searching for an unrelated bone marrow donor after doctors revealed that her younger brother and only sibling is not her match.
An Urgent Plea for an Asian-Caucasian Stem Cell Donor
You can lean more details on this page her dad put together explaining who Chenin is and how you can help her. CLICK HERE
Meet Chenin, a 35 year old woman who is living with Refractory, Large B-cell Lymphoma who is in critical need of a special marrow match. Chenin is of mixed ethnicities (caucasian and asian) so she faces more challanging odds then a patient of a single ethnicity in finding her match. If you are Caucasian, Asian or a combination of both please join the National Marrow Donor Program to see if you are her match. Please don't wait to take action! The sooner she receives her transplant the better her odds of surviving her cancer and the transplant itself.
Krissy Kobata (24 years old, Hapa)
Krissy's life has taken a bit of a different path than what a normal 26 year old would plan. She has been diagnosed with MDS, Myelodysplastic Syndrome. This disease is a primary bone marrow failure in which her marrow is not producing the healthy cells it needs to be. Often times, it is referred to as “pre-leukemia” and the only known cure is a bone marrow transplant.
What she’d like most is to get healthy and back to enjoying life with those that are most important to her. Before doing that, however, she needs to find a match. Being mixed race (Krissy is half Japanese and half Caucasian) makes finding a match more difficult than most. We know through all the efforts being made on everyone’s behalf, we will find a match, but just need a little extra help. Please consider registering to become a donor… you may just be her match!
Visit Krissy's Website
Nico
Nico is an active and curious 9 year old who loves to learn.
He attends an international school in France where he enjoys learning about English, French, German, music and politics. He also plays Wii MarioKart, and follows the CAL football team. Nico and his family spend every Summer in Los Altos CA, deepening their American roots.
In 2005, Nico was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). After undergoing many rounds of chemotherapy, his cancer was finally put into remission in June 2008. In December 2008 his cancer relapsed. He is now in urgent need of finding a marrow/stem cell donor. Because Nico is of mixed heritage (Korean and French), his search will be exceptionally difficult.
Maya became sick with flu-like symptoms on Sep 9. As was the case many times in the past 3 years, but recently her symptoms worsened. She was immediately taken to the doctor's office on September 10th and after a blood test Maya was admitted to the hospital on September 11th.
The Oncologist confirmed the diagnosis through analysis of a bone marrow biopsy. Maya was diagnosed with a rare form of a blood disease, called hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, or HLH for short. She needs a marrow donor urgently, however no one in her family is a match.
Maya is half South Asian and half caucasian Please help save Maya. Register to be a marrow donor or help coordinate a drive.
Vincent is a 24 year old senior at the University of California Santa Cruz. Vincent was diagnosed with Acute lymphoblastic leukemia on July of 2009. He is currently working towards his degree in astrophysics! Vincent hopes to receive a Masters degree and someday work for NASA. Vincent enjoys hiking, traveling and staying close with his family. Please help Vincent and register today!
UPDATES: MATCHES FOUND AND TRANSPLANTS
TRANSPLANT RECEIVED March, 2009
This is Roger losing his hair after chemo. Roger received a stem cell transplant to cure his Myelodysplasia but now faces a different battle. Because he was uninsured his treatment was delayed for 11 months until he was accepted for treatment at MD Anderson in Houston, TX.
Roger now faces extremely expensive prescription costs to keep him healthy following his transplant. These wrist bands are his main source of income while he recuperates from his transplant for the next 6 months. To purchase one of Roger's wrist bands CLICK HERE
TRANSPLANT RECEIVED April 22, 2009
Jodie Gee
'Jodie is a caring, loving wife and mother. She is only 34 years old. She is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and has 2 children, Tyler (5) and Elizabeth (1). She was diagnosed with Severe Aplastic Anemia after a routine physical in late October 2008.Aplastic anemia is a rare disease, affecting about 3 in every 1 million people in the United States each year.
Jodie's only treatment option for a full and complete recovery is a bone marrow transplant. While she waits for a match, she must stay away from public gatherings and limit her contact with friends and family.
Her condition makes her extremely vulnerable to germs, and she ends up in the hospital for several days at a time. She is unable to spend this 'waiting time' making memories with family and friends as this puts her health at more risk.'
Matthew received his transplant on 9/19/09
Matthew was attending Pharmacy school in Virginia when he found out that he was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia in June 2007. After chemotherapy, Matthew was in remission until February 2009 when he relapsed. As an undergrad at UCLA, Matthew worked closely with A3M helping blood cancer patients look for matching marrow donors. Ironically, he now needs your help in finding a donor.
Gaurav Tandon is a 35 year-old professional working with Datacraft Asia in Mumbai, India. Gaurav completed his engineering from Shantilal Shah Engineering College in Gujarat and his MBA from S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai. His small family comprises of a 6 year-old son, and wife. Gaurav was detected with AML in November 2008 and needs a bone marrow transplant urgently. Please register today to help Gaurav - See more about Gaurav on his Web site www.helpgaurav.com/index.asp
Jerome received his transplant on 11/23/09
Jerome Williams photographed here with Kayla, another patient in need.
Jerome was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) in 2003. His need is now critical. He needs a marrow transplant soon if he is going to survive. TEAMJEROME.ORG was founded in an effort to find a marrow donor match for Jerome and others like himself.
He is African American, French and Native American which makes his search for a marrow donor all the more difficult since matching is based on genetics.
If you are of any of these ethnicities or are a combination of 2 or all of them please join the registry to increae his odds of receicing the transplant he needs.
A match has been located. Jennifer will receive her transplant in January of 2010
Jennifer Juanes
Jennifer was diagnosed with ALL (Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia) on September 2, 2006 at the age of 20 and recently relapsed August 15, 2009 with the same diagnosis.
Jennifer is an amazing young woman. She was born and raised in Sunnyvale, CA and graduated from Fremont High School in 2004. She played softball for many, many years. She made every All-Star team and was an All-League Selection in High School. Her presence on the mound was undeniable and her drop was un-hittable. Jen also loves makeup, shopping and being with her family and friends.
Jen aspires to be a makeup artist but has had a rough road for the past few years of her life battling blood cancer. She is feisty, lovable, smart and insanely funny. She has the heart of a tiger and has remained relentless through rain and shine. She is my hero, my sister and my best friend. My family and I cannot live without her. Jennifer is Filipino, Spanish and English and we will do anything and travel anywhere to find her bone marrow match.
On August 24, 2009, Janet Liang was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (bi-phenotypic) while finishing her bachelor's degree as an International Development Studies major and Education minor. A loving and dedicated friend to many who knew her at UCLA, she was a healthy, hardworking, and extremely passionate student who fell victim to this blood cancer at only 22-years old.
An Urgent Plea for an Asian-Caucasian Stem Cell Donor
Nico
Maya became sick with flu-like symptoms on Sep 9. As was the case many times in the past 3 years, but recently her symptoms worsened. She was immediately taken to the doctor's office on September 10th and after a blood test Maya was admitted to the hospital on September 11th.
This is Roger losing his hair after chemo. Roger received a stem cell transplant to cure his Myelodysplasia but now faces a different battle. Because he was uninsured his treatment was delayed for 11 months until he was accepted for treatment at 
