Swab to Save Ruby: North Texas girl looking for a bone marrow donor match
Swab to Save Ruby event happening Monday in Dallas
An effort in Dallas Monday to help one child could spread to help dozens or even hundreds of others. Jamie Kayser with Cook Children's Hospital joined Good Day to share details about the event happening from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Lot E outside the American Airlines Center.
DALLAS - An effort in Dallas today to help one child could spread to help many, many more.
It’s called "Swab to Save Ruby," a special, drive-thru event to find a match for a bone marrow transplant.
Ruby was diagnosed with sickle cell anemia when she was just a few days old.
It affects her red blood cells and causes intense pain. It will eventually cause organ damage.
Ruby has been hospitalized 27 times and has already undergone four surgeries in her short life.
"You’re going to find your best donor match within your own ethnicity. Currently, not every patient that needs a bone marrow transplant or stem cell transport has that equal opportunity. So that’s what we’re trying to do is get as many people from different ethnicities on the registry so that every patient has that equal opportunity," said Jamie Kayser with Cook Children’s Hospital.
Monday’s drive-thru swab event is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Lot E outside the American Airlines Center. The whole process takes about five minutes.
Anyone interested in participating should text heyday at 614742 or visit join.bethematch.org/heyday to pre-register.