Gift of Life Marrow Registry Urges 18-35-Year-Olds to Join Registry at giftoflife.org/Match4Mylz

(Black PR Wire) Boca Raton, FL – Mylz Anderson-Finney, a 19-month-old boy from Lewes, Del., is in dire need of a bone marrow transplant to save his life. In February, the playful toddler was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), the most common type of cancer in children, and now needs the public’s help to find his perfect donor match.

Mylz’s diagnosis occurred following his first birthday, when an ear infection resulted in a hospital visit. Despite receiving chemotherapy treatments at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, the cancer has been resistant and his doctors say he will need a bone marrow transplant and CAR T-cell therapy in order to survive.

Mylz’s family, none of whom are a match, say he’s a friendly child who loves sharks and watching videos about dogs. Despite his devastating illness, he likes to blow bubbles and playing hot potato with his older sisters Remy and Hope. “During this Journey, Mylz has smiled even through the most challenging times,” said his mother, Morgan Anderson.  “Please help us save our sweet boy so we can continue to see him smile and grow.”

While most children with ALL can be cured of the disease, Mylz’s case is complicated by a genetic mutation and his mixed-race identity: his mom is White and dad is African-American. Mylz’s best chance of finding a match is with someone of similarly mixed ancestry. However, because Black and multiracial people are underrepresented in the worldwide registry, his chance of finding a match is only 25%.

The Gift of Life Marrow Registry has mounted an urgent campaign, calling on those who are 18 to 35 and in good health to join the registry as soon as possible. Those of biracial background are especially encouraged to participate through a few easy steps:

• Order a Swab Kit: To join the registry, order a swab kit at www.giftoflife.org/match4mylz.

• Hold a Donor Drive: To help organize a donor recruitment drive, contact Gift of Life Recruitment Manager Traci Ackerman at tackerman@giftoflife.org.

• Share Mylz’s Story: Visit the web page for Mylz’s donor recruitment campaign and click "Share This Donor Circle" to spread the word, using #Match4Mylz to tag the posts.

“Donating stem cells is similar to donating blood platelets—it only takes a few hours and they replenish on their own in a few weeks,” said Gift of Life’s Director of Organizational Advancement Marti Freund.  “We urge people of diverse ethnic backgrounds to join the registry to help save Mylz or another patient battling blood cancer.”

About Gift of Life Marrow Registry

Gift of Life Marrow Registry is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Boca Raton, Fla. The organization, established in 1991, is dedicated to saving lives by facilitating bone marrow and blood stem cell transplants for patients with leukemia, lymphoma, and other blood-related diseases. To learn more about Gift of Life Marrow Registry, visit www.giftoflife.org.

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