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‘Every Christmas, my wish is to find my son’s donor’: Mother hopes to find donor via ‘Be The Match’ event
A young Chicago boy from Humboldt Park and a teenage girl from Rogers Park need your help making their holiday wishes come true, and no, it's not for toys or electronics.
CHICAGO - A young Chicago boy from Humboldt Park and a teenage girl from Rogers Park need your help making their holiday wishes come true, and no, it's not for toys or electronics.
They want the gift of life.
“Every Christmas, my wish is to find my son's donor,” said Natalia Torres, mother of Alfredo.
Natalia Torres' son, Alfredo Diaz, was diagnosed with a rare genetic blood disorder called IL-10 receptor deficiency at just 3 years old.
“He's been having very large inflammation in his intestines, which causes a fever, not able to grow as a normal kid,” said Torres.
Now, he's eight and still regularly in and out of the hospital.
“Alfredo needs a stem cell transplant from a Hispanic donor to be able to survive,” said Torres.
Alfredo and 15-year old Jordan, who has an aggressive form of leukemia, both could be cured by a blood stem cell transplant, but neither have a matching donor on the "Be The Match" registry.
“A Hispanic patient only has a 46 percent chance of finding a match on the registry right now, compared to a 77 percent chance for a Caucasian patient,” said Terri Haid, an Illinois Account Manager from Be The Match.
On Saturday, "Be The Match" is hosting a "Drive-thru Celebration of Hope" at the McDonald's in the 4600 block of West Diversey Avenue.
Here, people will register online, and be given a cheek swab to provide a DNA sample, all from the comfort of their cars.
“You could be the one person that's gonna save my son's life,” Torres said.
If you cannot make the event you can still join the “Be The Match” registry by texting CHIWISH to 61474, and a swab kit will be mailed right to your home.