Tiberius Newbill needs a stem cell transplant, but it’s harder for him to find a match because Alaska Native and mixed-race people are underrepresented in the donor database.
Tiberius with his parents Enrico and Tasha Newbill at Seattle Children’s Hospital. June 19, 2021. A bone marrow transplant is a life-saving procedure for people with blood illnesses or cancers, but it’s harder for Alaska Native and mixed-race people to find matches because they’re underrepresented in the donor database. Advocates are hosting a drive next week to connect an Anchorage 6-year-old with a matching donor.
Since then, Tiberius has had more than 100 transfusions. He’s gone through a lot of chemotherapy. And, after an experimental stem cell transplant, he had brief remission before he relapsed this February. Now the family is hoping to find a donor for another transplant.It’s harder for Tiberius to find a match than it is for other patients — he’s Black, white and Inupiaq.
“To join the registry, you have to be 18 to 40 years old, meet the health guidelines and be committed to saving anyone’s life,” she said. “It’s not as bad as it sounds—they surgically remove it from your hip, and it kind of feels like you fell on the ice. You’re back to normal activities within a day,” Youngblood said.
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