Be a hero
If you are or know a pregnant woman of German, Russian, or Ukrainian descent, you have a chance to be a hero. Time is critical – become Mandi’s hero now.
Mandi Schwartz, a 22-year-old member of the Yale women’s ice hockey team, has recently been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia for the second time. She is currently on her way from her hometown in Saskatchewan to Seattle, and within the next 30-45 days she will need to have a stem cell transplant to survive. A donor who is a perfect match has yet to be found.
Mandi’s donor advocate, Dr. Tedd Collins, a New Haven-based clinical immunologist, and the Western Washington Female Hockey Association (WWFHA), in conjunction with all local hockey organizations, are leading a local outreach search for cord blood donors.
Pregnant and willing to help but don’t fit Mandi’s profile? Plenty of other people need heroes, too: Donate the cord blood from your child’s birth. This process is free and harmless for all involved, and it could save a life. In many cases the umbilical cords that could save someone like Mandi’s life wind up getting thrown away. For more about the donating cord blood, visit Be the Match, which also gives you info on donating bone marrow.
