Father of 5-year-old Houston boy who will die without bone marrow transplant in search of lifesaving hero

"We can't save our own kids' life. We need help from somebody else to save our own children's life," said Marco Gonzalez. 

Gonzalez has dedicated his life to saving others.

RELATED: Houston woman seeks bone marrow donor hoping to cure rare blood disorder

"I don't like to ask for help," he said. "But now I've got to ask for help, I need help."

There are moments Gonzalez's 5-year-old son, Nicholas, acts like a typical 5-year-old.

But when he was just 3-years-old, Nicholas was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder called Severe Aplastic Anemia.

"It's tough because we don't know what happened, or how it happened, or why it happened," Gonzalez said.

A procedure and chemotherapy caused Nicholas to grow hair everywhere.

"I would just have to cheer him up, and keep him positive when you're dying inside as a parent," said Gonzalez.

RELATED: Houston-area family meets their daughter's bone marrow donor

It looked like that treatment was going to be successful and all the time spent at Texas Children's Hospital was about to end.

"Two and a half months ago, they said by Thanksgiving, this past Thanksgiving that he would be 100% and the nightmare would be over," Gonzalez said. "No more medicine, no more doctor visits, that he would be normal again."

But the nightmare got worse. Nicholas had a complete relapse. Doctors say only a bone marrow transplant can save him.

"I wished it happened to me instead of my son," said Gonzalez,

Only 30% of patients who need a bone marrow transplant have a matching donor in their families.

The remaining 70% are at the mercy of a compatible stranger on the worldwide Bone Marrow Registry.

MORE: UH Senior hopes to create statewide bone marrow donor recruitment program

Gonzalez is on a mission to find his son a donor and all the other kids at Texas Childrens Hospital whose lives depend on it.

"Just like us, they're helpless. It feels like the life is sucked out of them as well too," he said.

An event is being held on Saturday morning from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. at The Gonzalez Law Group, located at 7151 Office City Drive, where you can register to become a bone marrow donor. It takes less than 10 minutes to register. Food and sweets will also be given out to those who participate. 

If you're unable to make the event on Saturday, you can register to become a bone marrow donor by texting "match4nico" to 61474 or by clicking here.