There has been a huge response to a call for help for a 5-month old Windsor girl with a rare genetic disorder.
Madalayna Ducharme has a condition called "osteopetrosis" which affects her bone growth and immune system.
A swabbing clinic was held at the main campus of St. Clair College today to increase the registry of people who could be matches for a bone marrow stem cell transplant.
Charles Ducharme attended the event and is blown away by the response: "I am overwhelmed with joy, seriously the amount of people who have come out throughout the whole day, people just keep flowing in it really warms my heart and it makes me very happy the community has come together in support of my daughter"
He says Madalayna has been doing well, but it won't last: "it's deceiving because she is very happy and very smiling all the time, but it's what's going on on the inside that seems to be the problem and it is starting to show and develop as an immuno-compromised child it's obvious it's starting to"
Volunteers taking swabs at St. Clair College for the bone marrow registry (photo by AM800's Peter Langille)
Another swabbing clinic is being held at Canadian Blood Services of Grand Marais Road East Saturday and a future one is being planned at the University of Windsor.
Ducharme wanted to thank volunteers from the Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association who performed the swabbing.
For people unable to attend a clinic, a swabbing kit is available online through onematch.ca