Earlier this year, the community came together to help , a Petaluma boy suffering from leukemia. An estimated 2,000 people were entered into the national donor registry, although the eventual match was found in Germany.
Now another young man needs help.
Travis Schwarz, a 30-year-old Petaluma resident, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia this May and is now undergoing chemotherapy at the University of California San Francisco. He has lost a lot of weight, can't absorb nutrients and has no ability to fight germs, said his mom D'Ann Moore.
“We found out right around his birthday and it was just shocking,” Moore said. “The diagnosis came out of nowhere.”
Now family and friends are organizing a donor drive to see if a match can be found for Travis. If you are already registered with the Be the Match national donor registry, karma points for you.
If not, Travis’s family is asking as many people as possible to come out to the on Sunday, August 26 and get swabbed to see if they could be a bone marrow match for the young man. (Being a donor means that you are given some vitamins to improve your strength and have your blood drawn twice.)
Potential donors must be between 18 and 60 years old and sign an application.
Currently, 165,000 people around the country waiting for a match and the need is especially great in ethnic communities.
A donor registry for Travis Schwarz will be held Sunday, August 26 between 12-4pm at the Redwood Club, 719 Southpoint Ave.
