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Urgent need for Black stem call donors
Doctors told Chizoma Ekechukwu something no one wants to hear. FOX 26's Randy Wallace explains.
HOUSTON - Doctors told Chizoma Ekechukwu something no one wants to hear. She has leukemia.
How blood stem cell donation helps Leukemia and blood Cancer patients
What they're saying:
"It was surreal," her sister, Nneka Soyinka said. "She had just started her dream MBA program at Duke. A month or so later, she had a cough that wouldn't go away.
"She FaceTimed me and says they're saying it's cancer," Nneka said.
Chizoma's brother, Obi, who's a half match, donated his stem cells.
Sadly, Chizoma went from being in remission to being in the hospital in desperate need of a blood stem cell donor.
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According to DKMS, the world's largest blood stem cell donor center, 70% of patients must rely on donors outside their families.
Black patients, says DKMS, have only a 29% chance of finding a compatible donor. That's why greater donor diversity is urgent.
It starts with a swab in your mouth, and if you are a match, it only takes a few hours to save a person's life.
What you can do:
For more information, click here.
The Source: Nneka Soyinka spoke with FOX 26.