FARMINGTON HILLS (WWJ) A young metro Detroit boy has until the early spring to find a perfect bone marrow donor match.
Ryder Washington, 6, of Farmington Hills needs a bone marrow transplant in the hope of stopping his rare blood disorder from progressing to cancer, according to his mother.
“(Ryder) is that kid who never meets a stranger,” His mother Kimberli Washington said. “People are walking through a mall and high-fiving him.”
She said Ryder always has a Monster truck “in hand.” And when his beloved Wolverines play, he is wearing his Michigan hoodie, helmet and carrying his Michigan football.
“Things were normal and humming along just fine. And in February (2021), Ryder lost his first tooth, and he was super excited about it,” Washington said. “He was just bleeding for days afterward. We immediately took him to Emergency, and they...started talking, ‘let’s reach out to hematology.’ That lead to oncology.”
The diagnosis was Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS).
“Just a kick in the gut,” Washington said.
Boston Children’s Hospital said that MDS is extraordinarily rare in children, occurring in only 4 out of one million. It results in the bone marrow producing insufficient red blood cells (that carry oxygen), white blood cells (that fight infection), and platelets (that clot the blood).
Boston Children’s reports, in about one-third of cases, it will progress to a pernicious type of leukemia, Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Leukemia originating from MDS is “harder to cure” and associated with worse outcomes than leukemia without MDS origins, according to Boston Children’s Hospital.
Doctors told Washington and her husband that Ryder’s best course of treatment is a bone marrow transplant. His doctor said, in Ryder’s case, the chance of his MDS progressing to cancer is “very likely.”
“I asked ‘what can we do’? Really, our hands are tied,” Washington said.
“We want to do whatever we can to make sure our boy has a great life,” she added.
Washington and the rest of her four-person family team—big brother Tyson, 11, and Ryder’s dad/Washington's husband, Terrence, are each only 50% matches.
Washington said that the doctors will do the transplant with a 50% match, but it’s not ideal.
“They are really hoping there is a 100% match out there or someone higher than 50. The closer the match is, the easier the transplant goes. There’s more risk for infection when the match is not as close to 100,” Washington said.
Even under the best of circumstances, a bone marrow transplant usually lands the patient in the hospital for a month or longer, including an intense week-long preconditioning chemotherapy regimen, a week or so for the transplant itself, and a week or two to determine if it will be successful.
“(Doctors) wouldn’t be doing this if they didn’t think this would give him a good quality of life and, at the end of the day, that’s all I want for my child,” she said.
Be The Match, the national bone marrow registry, has approximately 37 million people from across the U.S. registered as potential donors for those who need a transplant and do not have a familial match.
None is a match for Ryder.
Regardless of whether a 100% match is found, the doctors plan to do the bone marrow transplant in “early spring,” according to Washington.
No cancer has been detected in Ryder’s body yet, she said. “The key for us is to go in before the cancer comes.”
“… So, we’ve got to pound the pavement and find someone,” she said.
The hope: a perfect match is out there but merely hasn’t been found yet.
The Washingtons have held three bone marrow drives in metro Detroit so far, with the help of Be The Match, and they plan to host at least three more before the spring.
The silver lining in it all, she said, has been the kindness of strangers.
“Just people I’ve met once or twice… Folks from our church. Teachers from our school who have these bands they’ve been wearing that say 'Be The Match' or ‘Racing 4 Ryder.'” Washington said, “There’s just been crazy support!”
Washington’s nephew, who plays football for Bowling Green State University, convinced his entire team of some 100 boys to get tested.
“I cried when I walked in that conference room, and I saw 100 boys sitting there waiting on us to be swabbed.”
In the meantime, the family is focusing on enjoying the holidays and
"staying upbeat."
A highlight of the holiday season for Ryder: “He is super excited because our Elf on The Shelf came over the weekend!”
You may be a match for Ryder and his second chance at life. All it takes is a simple swab of the cheek to become a part of the registry and determine if you’re a match. Donating bone marrow is an outpatient procedure, preceded by a basic health screening.
“Just a minor inconvenience for you,” Washington said. “Which could be a day off of work, or some minor back pain, could save my child’s life.”
How to join Team Racing4Ryder:
-Click this link or text Racing4Ryder to 61474.
-Or you can scan the QR code here. (Scroll down). At these links, you will also be able to request a free at-home swab and test kit.
-You can live anywhere in the country and still be a potential donor for Ryder.
-You must be between the ages of 18 and 40 and in good health. See list of disqualifying health conditions.
- Take a picture of yourself swabbing your cheek to show Ryder and the Washington family how many people are rallying behind them.
-If you are not eligible to be a donor, you can still help the family by spreading the word and encouraging your loved ones who meet the guidelines to register as potential donors.
You can keep up with Ryder's story on Racing4Ryder.com
Keep in mind: If you’re not a match for Ryder, you may still save someone else’s life. Bone marrow/stem cell transplants can cure over 70 blood diseases and blood cancers, including leukemia, lymphoma, sickle cell, and aplastic anemia. According to Be The Match, 70% of people do not have a matched donor within their family and an unrelated match through the registry is their only hope.
