SALIDA - Ericka, a mother of three in the Salida area, needs to find a stem cell match.

In October 2020, Ericka was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), a group of various bone marrow disorders. Ericka is Indonesian Indonesian, Filipino and Portuguese. So her right donor will most likely be someone with a similar ethnicity.

A stem cell registration event takes place on Sunday, March 14, between 11:00 and 14:00 at Hughes Business Park, 5492 Pirrone Road, in Salida, to help Ericka and other patients of color looking for a match with stem cells.

The staff of the Asian American Donor Program, a 30-year-old nonprofit, educates and encourages people from diverse ethnic backgrounds and those who are multi-ethnic to commit and join the registry, saving a life. AADP staff is dedicated to increasing the availability of potential stem cell donors for patients with life-threatening diseases that can be cured by a blood or bone marrow stem cell transplant. AADP is an official recruitment center for the national register Be The Match.

In the US, the probability of finding a suitable adult donor in the Be The Match national registry is 77% for European Americans, 57% for Native Americans / Alaska Natives, 46% for Latin Americans, 41% for Asian Americans / Native Americans. Pacific and 23 percent for African Americans.

When a patient has blood cancer, stem cell transplantation is the only treatment that can prolong or save his life. Before a transplant can take place, a stem cell donor must be located. At any given time, 12,000 people are looking for a suitable stem cell donor to save their lives. Patients come from all walks of life and many racial and ethnic groups.

Registering as a potential donor is quick and easy. You can request a home kit to be mailed to you. It takes about 10 minutes. Then return the set from home. You don't even have to go to the post office. The cost of registration is covered by a grant.

You can complete the registration online at: www.aadp.org/homekit/

All people of color are encouraged to register. If you are not a match for Ericka, you could be a match for another patient looking for a stem cell match.