A B.C. woman whose nephew desperately needs a bone marrow transplant is calling for more individuals of mixed ethnicity to sign up for donor programs.
Kelly Faraday's six-year-old nephew, Joshua Weekes, is battling an aggressive form of cancer called acute myeloid leukemia. Doctors say Joshua needs a bone marrow transplant, but they're having trouble finding a compatible donor.
Weekes is of mixed English, Icelandic, Caribbean and Filipino descent.
"Joshua's ethnicity… can present additional challenges in the search for a donor since fewer than 25% of matches are found within families regardless of ethnicity," Kelly Faraday wrote in a last month. "I encourage (beg!) everyone who is eligible to join the stem cell/bone marrow donor registry but I ask that you share a special message with mixed race, mixed ethnicity and Filipino friends: you are desperately needed!"
Faraday also called for more people to sign up for blood donor programs.
"Most people will never be called but, if you are, you could save a life somewhere in the world," she wrote.
Weekes' family will be holding a donor drive in Richmond, B.C., on Tuesday night. Attendees will receive a cheek swab so they can be checked for genetic compatibility.
To register to become a stem cell donor, visit the .
