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.
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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.
“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.
