HOUSTON – Doctors told Chizoma Ekechukwu something no one wants to hear. She has leukemia.
Read more ICE Houston shooting timeline: Surveillance video, family account help reconstruct final moments
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.
According to DKMS, the world’s largest blood stem cell donor center, 70% of patients must rely on donors outside their families.
Read more Cyclosporiasis outbreak: 16 cases of cyclosporiasis confirmed in City of Houston
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.
Read more Man, minor found shot in Alvin; no suspects in custody
What you can do:
For more information, click here.