It took only weeks, but a woman who is pregnant with twins who was also diagnosed with leukemia got some life-saving news -- a perfect bone-marrow match has been found.
Susie Rabaca was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. She needed a perfect match to treat the aggressive cancer. Her sister was only a 50 percent match and doctors said she wasn't close enough. What made the search even more difficult was her mixed ethnicity -- Rabaca is Latino and Caucasian, KABC reported.
The registry had 30 million people listed before Rabaca's story went viral, NBC News reported. Out of the 30 million people, no one was a perfect match, NBC News reported.
"Only 3 percent of our registry is mixed ethnicity and so it can be really difficult to find a matching donor. The fact that we have identified a potential match for her is really exciting," Julie Kornike, a spokesperson with Be The Match, told KABC.
Rabaca and her family tried finding a donor through social media.
Days after Rabaca's story went viral, nearly 40,000 people signed up with Be The Match, KABC reported.
Rabaca has not met her bone marrow donor, but she couldn’t be more grateful for a stranger’s help.
"Whoever you are out there, thank you so much. You're saving my life. You're an angel, and I hope one day to meet you," Rabaca told KABC.
Rabaca is expected to give birth to her twins on Dec. 6. The bone marrow transplant will happen after their birth, KABC reported.
About the Author
The Latest
Featured
