Community is not a big word. Community starts with our families and our friends.
Our climber friend Caryn was diagnosed with a rare and especially aggressive form of adult leukemia [B-Cell MLL-Rearranged Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia with an unfavorable t(4;11) chromosome mutation]. Within a week of diagnosis, she was hospitalized, submitted to sessions of chemotherapy, and has undergone several blood transfusions. Despite her young (32) age, with chemotherapy alone, the survival rate is only 10%. Tragically, with the rare mutation, her doctors have explained that she will need a bone marrow (blood stem cell) transplant. Getting the transplant would significantly increase her chances of recovery to 70%!


When it comes to matching HLA (human leukocyte antigen) types, a patient’s ethnic background is important in predicting the likelihood of finding a match 🔍 This is because HLA markers used in matching are inherited. Some ethnic groups have more complex tissue types than others. So a person’s best chance of finding a donor may be with someone of the same ethnic background.

During supporting Swab For Caryn Campain, we also learned that there have been so many blood stem cell donation mystery and false beliefs.