BONE MARROW DONORS SOUGHT TO HELP 4-YEAR-OLD ARMENIAN GIRL

KTLA
April 7 2010
CA

Due to the unique genetic makeup of Armenians, it is hard to find
bone marrow matches among existing national registries.

GLENDALE — The family of a 4-year-old girl suffering from
a potentially-fatal blood disease is pleading with the Armenian
community to take part in a bone marrow drive in Glendale.

Charlotte Conybear, of Philadelphia, was diagnosed in the spring of
2009 with aplastic anemia, a failure of the bone marrow to generate
sufficient blood platelets and red and white blood cells. The condition
can prove deadly.

One treatment option is a bone marrow transplant.

Doctors have not been able to find a match for her on the national
registry, or within her family.

Charlotte is part Armenian, which doctors say gives her DNA features
distinct from Europeans, and different genetic diseases.

Her family has been reaching out to Armenian communities across the
U.S. hoping to find a match.

Anyone interested in helping out can participate in the donor drive
at Glendale Memorial Hospital, 1420 S. Central Ave. in Glendale from
5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, April 7. The drive will be held in the
main auditorium.

A cheek swab and an application is all that is necessary, according
to organizers.

Donors must be between 18 and 50 and available to donate bone marrow
and blood promptly if notified they are the right match. Charlotte’s
treatment might require the donor to give only blood, from which stem
cells are extracted, Philly.com reported.