Parent Magazine

Feature Story and Financial Contribution Support NMDP Efforts

The November issue of Parents magazine, currently on newsstands, features the story of 5-year-old Kailee Wells and her search for a marrow or blood stem cell donor. The story also highlights the need for more minority volunteer donors, especially African Americans, Asian Pacific Islanders, Hispanics and American Indians/Alaska Natives.

Kailee was diagnosed with aplastic anemia, a disease that causes the bone marrow to malfunction, making it unable to do its primary job of producing new blood cells. The best treatment for aplastic anemia -- and many other life-threatening diseases -- is to transplant bone marrow donated by a sibling of the patient. Human tissue characteristics are inherited, so the most likely match for a patient is a biological family member or someone who shares a similar heritage. Kailee, who was born in China, was adopted by Linda and Owen Wells at age 1.

Today, about 304,000 of the 4.6 million potential marrow or stem cell donors or umbilical cord blood units listed on the National Marrow Donor Program^® (NMDP) Registry are identified as Asian or Pacific Islander. There is currently no matching donor for Kailee on the NMDP's Registry.

Parents has donated $10,000 to The Marrow Foundation^®, a partner of the National Marrow Donor Program, to help cover the lab costs of tissue typing and particularly to support the recruitment of minority donors. The funds will be used to recruit more minority donors nationwide and will cover the cost of tissue typing or recruitment drives inspired by the Parents article.

Read more about The Marrow Foundation or how to join the National Marrow Donor Program.