West Hawaii Today
A bone marrow registration drive seeking a donor match for an 18-year-old Kamehameha Schools Hawaii drew scores to looking to “be the match” Saturday in Kailua-Kona.
The six-hour event was held with the hope of finding a bone marrow donor match for 18-year-old Kamehameha Schools Hawaii graduate Jaden Ah Mow, who was diagnosed in January with aplastic anemia, a rare blood disease that occurs when the body stops producing enough new blood cells.
Nainoa Wong, Be the Match Hawaii’s community and engagement representative, said 121 people were registered during Saturday’s event.
Be The Match, operated by the National Marrow Donor Program, manages the largest and most diverse marrow registry in the world. All of those who registered Saturday will be entered into the registry and could be a match for Ah Mow or another person. Those who weren’t able to attend the event in person can still answer the questionnaire at www.bethematchhawaii.org and have a swab kit mailed to them.