By writer to www.theindychannel.com
INDIANAPOLIS — A 10-year-old boy is preventing for his life inside Riley Hospital for youngsters. He is ready for a life-saving donation, one which his mom fears may not come.
“Once I formally came upon, it was like my complete world simply shut down,” Juanita Perkins stated.
Perkins’ son, Brian, has leukemia. He was first recognized final November. However then, it got here again. He is now in want of a bone marrow transplant as a result of he relapsed so early.
“Once they advised me he wanted a donor I knew that it was a slim probability as a result of African-Individuals simply do not donate like that,” Perkins stated. “So it was like so devastating to me as a result of I am like, ‘OK, I want to determine one thing.'”
In response to Dr. Jodi Skiles, Brian has a 23 p.c probability of discovering the precise donor he wants as a result of fewer of the African-American group are registered stem cell donors. Whereas for organ donation it merely requires a blood kind match, stem cell requires particular DNA.
“There’s an enormous hole there by way of African-American wholesome individuals signing as much as be donors, which signifies that African-American sufferers are much less prone to discover a appropriate donor,” Skiles, IU Well being pediatric stem cell transplant medical director, stated.
“I feel as a result of we’re not educated on being a donor and I feel extra too as a result of we’re afraid to be a donor,” Perkins stated.
Brian and his mom have not left the hospital since June 17. He is receiving chemotherapy within the meantime to get into remission so he will be eligible when that transplant does come.
“You possibly can save a toddler,” Perkins stated. “Not simply my baby, one other baby that is in the identical scenario that we’re in.”
