Parents desperately seeking Irish American donors to save sick son

Bone marrow transplant needed to save life of very ill five-year-old

By

KERRY O'SHEA,

IrishCentral Staff Writer

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Five-year-old Jake suffers from Severe Aplastic Anemia, and needs to find a bone marrow match

Photo by www.facebook.com/MatchJake

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While it’s been an “uphill challenge to let people know how the process works” since most people are unfamiliar with the bone marrow donation experience, Kimberly and her friends and family have begun to reach to large audiences in hope of encouraging people to apply to be donors.

Anyone, anywhere is encouraged to see if they can be a donor, and can do so simply by submitting a cheek swab in the mail.

“We know the Irish community will step up, they always do,” says Kimberly. She says she and her husband refer to the search as “calling upon the tribe.”

Currently, Jake is on a medication which turns off his immune system in order “to tell bones they can start working again.” When speaking with Kimberly, Jake had been on the medication for 90 days, which is when results are expected to appear. She said the results weren’t overwhelming yet, and that they would continue the medication to see if any other improvements would occur.

While the hunt continues for a match for Jake, the almost 6 year old little boy remains “chipper and happy.” Kimberly and Bob continue to look for the small blessings and have called the entire experience “humbling.”

Jake is still looking for a bone marrow donor. Head to  the MatchJake Facebook page, MatchJake.org and BeTheMatch.org to learn more about applying to be a donor and to follow updates about Jake.

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