Bone Marrow Drive May Help Save Life of Baby Stricken With Leukemia

In Hawaii, a 23-month-old Chinese American girl is battling a rare, aggressive form of leukemia. Doctors say Alana Dung may die in six weeks unless she finds a compatible bone marrow donor.

No one signed up with National Bone Marrow Program, a registry of potential donors, has matched Alana’s blood type. One of the reasons is that less than 5% of the people on the registry are of Asian descent. Patients are more likely to find a bone marrow match within the same ethnic group.

To encourage more Asians and Southeast Asians to join the bone marrow program, and possibly find a match for Alana, a Little Tokyo-based group called Asians for Miracle Marrow Matches is sponsoring a series of drives throughout Southern California.

To become a potential bone marrow donor, about two to three tablespoons of blood are extracted, said Madhury Mistry, spokeswoman for the group. The blood is analyzed and the results are stored in a database.

If the proteins found on white blood cells in the sample match a patient in need of a bone marrow transplant, the donor is contacted for further testing.

The next bone marrow drives for Alana will be held May 11 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the lobby of the Hanmi Bank Building at 950 S. Los Angeles St. in downtown Los Angeles and May 12 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Shrine of Presentation at 1775 S. Main St. in Corona.

Information: (213) 626-3406.