Swab for Max

Our family wants to tell you about our 15-year-old son, Max. He’s in ninth grade and is a kid of many talents — when he’s not focused on schoolwork, he loves playing soccer, tennis, and wrestling, and still finds time to explore and record music on the piano (he’s even on Spotify!). Like any family, we always imagined watching him grow up, go to college, and build his own future — but now, all of that depends on finding a matching blood stem cell donor for him.

Max has a very rare blood disorder called clonal cytopenia that, if not treated soon with a stem cell transplant, is likely to develop into serious blood cancers such as MDS or AML. We thought we had found a donor, but that match sadly fell through, and we are back at square one, knowing every day counts in this race against time. Max is of mixed ancestry, including Colombian, which unfortunately makes it harder to find a compatible donor because people from Latino and other minority backgrounds are severely underrepresented on donor registries.

As a family, it is devastating to know that the one thing our son needs is in someone else’s hands, and all we can do is ask for your help. Joining the registry is simple, and the act of swabbing not only creates the possibility of a second chance at life for Max and patients like him, but also brings hope to all those desperately waiting for their “perfect match”. Please consider registering today and helping spread the word — you may never know whose life you save, but you can know that we are endlessly grateful for your willingness to help.