Maya has a simple wish…She needs you to save her life.

Maya is an adorable 4 year old whose short life has been overtaken by a complex disease with a long name, Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, or HLH. Her perfect little girl life was filled with dancing, singing, reading books, and baking with her grandmothers. From the moment of her diagnosis on September 4, 2009, those happy days gave way to the frightening challenges of daily medical treatments in intensive care.

HLH is a rare disorder primarily affecting young children at a very early age but is found in patients of all ages. Histiocyte cells, produced in the marrow and part of the immune system, eat up normal blood cells which are then stored in the liver and spleen. The cells build up, painfully, causing the organs to enlarge and shift, eventually pushing against the lungs, making it difficult to breathe.

The disease is so rare that there is not even a body of data on which Maya’s prognosis can be based. All that’s known for sure is that her return to health is a long shot without your help. The short term treatment is a form of chemotherapy which Maya started the same day she was diagnosed, but the only possibility for long term health is a bone marrow transplant.

Maya needs donated bone marrow that very closely matches her own. The best chances of finding a matched donor are with a sibling, but Maya’s little brother is not a match. The next best chance is with a parent but Maya’s parents are not a match either. Can you be Maya’s best chance? She needs you!

You could have Maya’s future inside you! Think of it. You could hold the key to curing

Maya’s disease, or the disease of another sick child or adult, inside you right now and all it takes to begin your journey to hero status is to join the national registry of marrow donors at Be The Match. Please join the registry. Please spread the word. Tell your family, your friends, your co-workers, that Maya is looking for that one person who could save her life. Please urge others in your community to join.

It’s so easy to be someone’s hero.

Visit http://www.marrow.org/JOIN/index.html, and click on the informative links in the left side bar to learn more about the process. There are many misconceptions about this lifesaving process and you will be pleasantly surprised to see how simple it is to save a life. You’re now ready to click JOIN NOW. You will be sent a kit with instructions about the painless cheek swab needed to see if you can be a match and where to send your completed swab and registration paperwork in the pre-paid envelope. To ensure the most optimal processing on Maya’s behalf, be sure to use the Promo Code marrow4maya when you sign up.

Whether Maya reminds you of your daughter, your grandchild or just the little girl down the street who always smiles and waves, it takes just a moment to give her a lifetime of moments. Please join today and answer her call for help.

If you still have questions about marrow donation, please contact Be The Match at:
1 (800) MARROW-2 (1-800-627-7692).

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