NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – The New York Blood Center along with Be The Match will host a series of blood drives in New York and New Jersey throughout the month of June attempting to find a stem cell match for a 6-month-old baby boy.
Noah Ansari was diagnosed with Wiskott- Aldrich Syndrome (WAS), a rare, life-threatening immunodeficiency disease and the only cure is a stem cell transplant.
Patients with WAS often suffer from a reduced number of platelets, which are small and dysfunctional, and causing them to bleed easily, even without injury.
Patients are most likely to match with donors who share the same ethnic background, according to the New York Blood Center and Noah, who is half Caucasian, half African-American lives in Ohio with his parents and older sister who are pleading with the public for a stem cell donation that will save his life.
"We are turning to New Yorkers to ask for help as baby Noah is in need of a stem cell donation," said Marcelle Amiot-Priso, Director of the Be The Match Program at New York Blood Center. " This 6-month-old child has his whole life ahead of him and his family is leaning on our community to give him a fighting chance."
The blood drive will be held on the following days and locations:
● Thursday, June 3rd, 1pm – 7pm – Resorts World Casinos - 110-00 Rockaway Blvd, Queens, NY
● Friday, June 4th, 1pm – 7pm – Queens Place Mall, 88-01 Queens Blvd., Elmhurst, NY
● Thursday, June 10th, 1pm – 7pm – Newport Centre Mall Jersey City , 30 Mall Drive West, 2nd Floor, Jersey City, NJ
● Monday, June 21st, 2:45pm – 8:45pm – Central Islip Fire Department, 97 Carleton Ave, Central Islip, NY
● Thursday, June 24th, 10am – 4pm – Upper East Side & Council Member Keith Powers Blood Drive, 211 E 43rd St, #1205, New York, NY
● Friday, June 25th, 1pm – 7pm – Newport Centre Mall Jersey City , 30 Mall Drive West, 2nd Floor, Jersey City, NJ
● Saturday, June 26th, 10am – 4pm – Riverbay Corporation, 2049 Bartow Avenue, Room 31, Bronx, NY
● Sunday, June 27th, 10am – 4pm – New Settlement Community Center, 1501 Jerome Ave, Bronx, New York
● Monday, June 28th, 1:45pm – 7:45pm – Brentwood Public Library, 34 Second Avenue, Brentwood, New York
You can sign up here to make an appointment at one of the blood drives.
To join the Be the Match registry, you must be between the ages of 18-44. If you fit the criteria, cannot make the blood drives, and would be interested in making a donation, you can text NY4NOAH to 61474.