A Southern California man is asking for help, especially from the Latino population to find a donor.
Salvador Mendoza Jr., 41, was diagnosed with Acute myeloid leukemia in March 2020. His siblings were only a 50% match and his doctors decided to go with a half match, but Mendoza relapsed.
His doctors are recommending a blood stem cell transplant and Mendoza is searching the Be the Match Registry to find an unrelated donor to save his life.
He and his family were in National City Saturday hosting a drive asking the public to help, by giving a cheek-swab sample and potentially saving his life.
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“We’re looking for [people] 18-44, we prefer Latinos. We want them to come out and participate. It only takes about 10 minutes,” Mendoza said.
According to Be the Match, the likelihood of a Hispanic or Latino finding a matched adult donor is 46%.
This testing is free.
People who wish to help can text "Swab-for-Sal" to 61474 to receive a swab kit. For more information visit their website.
