Diego's Story
A family’s life changed by donated cord blood
Tripping over toys may irritate some parents. But for Georgette Lara, it was a joy — it reminded her that her son Diego was alive. Diego was just a toddler when Georgette learned he had acute lymphocytic leukemia. When he was first diagnosed, Diego did not respond to standard chemotherapy. He needed a transplant.
No one in his family was a suitable match and Diego’s Hispanic heritage made locating an unrelated match challenging. His doctors searched the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) Registry, looking at both bone marrow donors and cord blood units. When Diego’s leukemia relapsed, he needed a transplant right away. Because a matching cord blood unit was available, he was able to receive a transplant quickly.
That was in August 2003. Today Diego is a happy, energetic young boy, thanks to the lifeline of donated cord blood.
Helping more patientsTissue types are inherited, so bone marrow and cord blood matches often come from donors of similar racial and ethnic heritage. There are still not enough bone marrow donors or cord blood units to meet the need of all patients, especially patients from racially and ethnically diverse communities. This simple fact motivates us to add as many new adult donors and cord blood units to the NMDP Registry as possible.
There are many stories like Diego’s. With your help, there can be even more. Learn more about how to donate cord blood. Share life. Donate cord blood.
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