The Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association wants everyone to 'Get Swabbed' in honour of Zoe Dudzianiec.
The two-year-old girl from Tecumseh has been diagnosed with Diamond-Blackfan Anemia — a genetic disorder so rare it affects less than 1,000 people worldwide.
The disorder prevents bone marrow from making enough red blood cells, but Zoe's mother Heidi says her case is even more complicated. "She doesn't make any red blood cells so she requires blood transfusions every two weeks. Because of the blood transfusions, she has high iron, so it also causes Zoe to need therapy which brings down the iron. That therapy is a 10-hour IV every night with medication in the morning."
Zoe has been diagnosed with Diamond-Blackfan Anemia — a genetic disorder so rare it affects less than 1000 people worldwide.
Heidi Dudzianiec says Zoe has gone through 65 blood transfusions since birth and they're beginning to take a toll. She says the only permanent fix is a stem-cell bone marrow transplant. "We're trying to find a match, a safe match, that's the scary part. Have her go for a transplant to basically fix her bone marrow so she can live a normal life, and we can live a normal life, so she doesn't have to be sick like this anymore."
"The longer it takes to get her a transplant, the greater the risk she won't recover," says Dudzianiec. "She gets very tired; she goes pale, almost like a ghost. She just started seizing from the medications. Other than that she has poor appetite because she doesn't want to eat, because I'm sure all the medications upset her stomach. It can cause many more nasty side-effects over time if it's not dealt with and eventually, if you don't take care of it, it turns into cancer."
A 'Get Swabbed' event will be looking for a stem-cell bone marrow donor for Zoe and others in need of a donor. It will be held at St Clair College's Main Campus from 9:30 am to 3:30pm on Tuesday, March 27.
Anyone in good health between the ages of 17 and 35 can find out if they can help with a quick swab of their cheeks and sign up for the One Match Registry.