My Friends,
I need your attention and collaboration. Read this statement on behalf of my whole family and help me share it: Let me introduce Merlo Weiss, my cousin, a Chilean-American. He is a father, husband, vigorous traveler, a great tennis player, good son, good brother and a beautiful human being.
At this moment he is fighting a gigantic battle for his life since he was diagnosed with cancer of the bone marrow, and this has turned out to be very invasive. Every day and every second counts, because his illness advances and he has not found a [marrow] donor that can help him. His brothers turned out not to be compatible.
For this reason I appeal to the love you all feel for our family, our shared experiences and connections, to give us your help by getting a swab test to see if you can help him. Our Merlo’s life is at stake, and we can only ask for your support so that you can save him with your valuable act of love. Before explaining the procedure that may save my cousin, I will tell you that only about 30% of people in need of a transplant can find a compatible donor within their immediate family members. The remaining 70% of people, doctors need to find a compatible bone marrow donor outside the family. Merlo is within this 70%.
In these facts lies the urgency of committing each one of us as possible marrow donors. For this important reason, we are looking for bone marrow donors here in Chile through some family members and friends who want to help us in this crusade for his life. At this moment, the doctors say that this is the best chance that Merlo has to survive.
The good news is that the donation of stem cells or bone marrow is very simple and painless, such as donating blood. The test consists of a cheek swab for tissue typing, and if you are found to be compatible with Merlo, you may be called to donate stem cells or bone marrow. The transplant is a simple outpatient procedure, does not involve any health risk to you, is mostly painless, and can save Merlo’s life. If you are not Merlo’s match, you may be the lifesaving match for another patient in need.
Please let me thank all those men, women, friends, and close family members that can save the life of our Merlo and become superheroes. He will have one more hope to hold onto his life and we will be able to enjoy it. Many thanks, and we want you. Help #MerloWeiss
If you reside outside the United States and would like to join the registry to help Merlo, please contact the bone marrow registry in your country of residence. https://share.wmda.info/display/WMDAREG/Database