Are you Max's lifesaving match? Order your swab kit and find out if you are his hero!
Max is a 15-year-old high school student with his whole life ahead of him. He is a great student, plays soccer, and composes piano music.
But Max needs a stem cell or marrow transplant as soon as possible. A medical exam revealed low blood counts that are leading him towards bone marrow failure or blood cancer.
While chemotherapy can slow the progress, for a cure, Max needs a transplant. That’s where YOU come in – you could be Max’s best chance for recovery.
Because the matching factors needed to pair donors with recipients are inherited, Max’s best chance of finding a match is with someone who shares a similar ancestry:
Max is 50% Colombian and 50% European.
While everyone is needed to join the registry, we are especially seeking donors of Colombian heritage as the best chance for Max.
Our goal is to help him beat this diagnosis and get him back to just being a teenager. Max’s father, Juan, has made international appeals on social media and in the news to ask people to please swab for Max.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
- Join the registry! Click on the blue "Join Registry" button.
- Donors in general good health between 18 and 35 years old may join the registry. Donors over the age of 35 can also join, but we ask that you to please donate $60 to offset the lab fees – Click here to learn why.
- Eighty percent of donors requested by transplant centers are 18 to 35 years old for medical reasons – Click here to learn why Age Matters.
- Donors can remain in the registry until their 61st birthday – Click here to learn why the registry has an Age Limit.
- Certain medical conditions may mean you are not able to join the registry or donate – Click here to check the Conditions List. If you're not sure, a health history questionnaire is part of the registration process.
- Sponsor a swab kit. Click on the orange "Give to My Circle" button. Lab processing of every kit costs $60. Your contribution will help add new donors to the registry, who may be a match for Max or another patient.
- Spread the word. Use the social media links to the right to share Max's story. The more people who order a swab kit and join the registry, the faster he will find a donor.