Fil-Am LAPD cop in need of Pinoy bone marrow match
A Filipino-American officer with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is in dire need of a Filipino bone marrow donor to treat his rare blood disorder, according to a report on ABC 30.
Officer Matthew Medina requires a bone marrow transplant to survive his blood disorder aplastic anemia, a rare disease where the blood marrow does not produce enough blood cells for the body's needs.
Typical symptoms of the disease are lowered stamina and immune system, tendency to bruise and bleed easily, and inability to stop bleeding. If left untreated, aplastic anemia can lead to death.
Because Filipinos comprise a small percentage of registered marrow donors, friends, family, and LAPD officers organized a series of registration drives to increase the chances of finding a match for Medina, according to NBC Los Angeles.
A report on Daily Breeze said donors should be in good health and are aged 18 to 44 only. They need to undergo a mouth swab to test for a match, which they can sign up for on Be The Match, a bone marrow donor registry.
Medina, a seven-year veteran of the gang unit, lives in Norwalk with his wife Angelee and two young daughters. —Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA News
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