Take a test, save a life?
It’s that simple, and you may be able to help 12-year-old Esther Persaud, diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), the most common form of leukemia in children under 15.
It was just last August when her mother, Tilkie, became concerned after she began developing high fevers, vomiting, and suffered from lethargy and lack of appetite.
She brought her daughter to the doctor, who immediately sent her to Queens General Hospital, where blood work revealed the diagnosis, and Esther was rushed by ambulance to the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children’s Medical Center of New York (formerly Schneider Children’s Hospital).
The Queens Village girl underwent chemotherapy and was tutored in the hospital and at home so she could keep up with her school work.
“She’s always happy and sweet, a good child,” said her mother.
But a little over two months ago, Esther relapsed.
She is now back in the Cohen Children’s Medical Center, where she is again undergoing chemotherapy. Her doctors say she needs a bone marrow transplant to live, according to Tilkie.
“It’s very important, she has to have it.”
Despite this, said her mom, “She’s is good spirits, has good faith.”
Her family has been tested, but no one is a match.
So the Persauds and DKMS Americas, the world’s largest marrow donor center, are hosting a donor drive on Saturday, August 7, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Cavalry Assembly of God Church, located at 102-07 Rockaway Boulevard in Ozone Park.
Kelly Taylor of DKMS explained that “it is much harder to find a match for a patient who is a minority.”
Taylor explained that 74 percent of the donor registry in the U.S. is Caucasian.
Esther is Guyanese/Indian, so the more people who get tested, the better the chances of finding a match.
“It’s really simple to potentially save someone’s life,” said Taylor. “All it takes is a mouth swab with a Q-Tip. It’s quick and painless.”
If you can’t make it to the drive, Taylor urges you to register to become a donor at www.GetSwabbed.org. It is a national registry.
In the meantime, the Persauds are hopeful that they will find a match.
“We believe in God and we are hoping for a miracle,” said Tilkie. “It’s important to be tested.”
