LEUKEMIA PATIENT SEEKS MATCH : BONE MARROW DRIVE PLANNED TODAY FOR 5-YEAR-OLD BOY.Byline: Yvette Cabrera Daily News Staff Writer Two years ago, when Amador Navarro was diagnosed with leukemia leukemia (l  kē`mēə), cancerous disorder of the blood-forming tissues (bone marrow, lymphatics, liver, spleen) characterized by excessive production of immature or mature , he tearfully tear·ful adj. 1. Filled with or accompanied by tears: tearful eyes; a tearful farewell. 2. So piteous as to excite tears: a tearful melodrama. cried to his mother that he would rather die than endure the constant injections and tests the doctors put him through. A healthy 3-year-old before his diagnosis, the Sylmar youngster had always kicked around a soccer ball in hopes of one day playing with Chivas, the Mexican national soccer team from Guadalajara. ``When he was diagnosed, we were in the hospital for 15 days,'' said Amador's mother, Alejandra Navarro, in Spanish. ``And he cried, saying he didn't want to get better, that he wanted to die because he would see me crying and he would say, `No mommy don't cry. I don't want to get better.' '' But today, the 5-year-old said he wants to live and fulfill ful·fill also ful·fil tr.v. ful·filled, ful·fill·ing, ful·fills also ful·fils 1. To bring into actuality; effect: fulfilled their promises. 2. his dreams of becoming a police officer or an army helicopter pilot. He said Jesus will make him better so he can go back to school. But without a bone marrow transplant bone marrow transplant: see bone marrow. , none of Amador's dreams will come true. Determined to save their son, Amador's mother and father, Jose, joined with Councilman Richard Alarcon and Cal State Northridge student Angelita Rovero at a news conference Friday to announce their search for a bone marrow bone marrow, soft tissue filling the spongy interiors of animal bones. Red marrow is the principal organ that forms blood cells in mammals, including humans (see blood). In children, the bones contain only red marrow. donor The party conferring a power. One who makes a gift. One who creates a trust. donor n. a person or entity making a gift or donation. DONOR. He who makes a gift. (q.v.) for Amador. ``Finding out Amador had leukemia was the biggest blow of my life - I fainted when I found out,'' said Alejandra Navarro, sitting in the living room of her one-bedroom home. ``I would never wish this on anybody. But we're going to strive to accomplish even the impossible, and we have hope that we will find someone.'' The Navarro family will hold a bone marrow drive today in conjunction with the American Red Cross American Red Cross: see Red Cross. at the Panorama City Mall City Mall is a shopping mall located in Eroii Revolutiei square, Bucharest, Romania. The City Mall include:
``This is a deadly disease, and Amador absolutely does need a bone marrow transplant to survive,'' said Alarcon, whose district includes part of Sylmar. ``And I would just encourage anybody who has the passion, that they could see that there is an opportunity to give somebody back a full life.'' Amador, who is of Mexican descent descent, in anthropology, method of classifying individuals in terms of their various kinship connections. Matrilineal and patrilineal descent refer to the mother's or father's sib (or other group), respectively. , has a greater chance of matching the bone marrow of a Latino donor, but out of the 2.7 million volunteers registered to donate only 6 percent are Latino. Alarcon stressed the need for Latinos to not only have their blood tested, but to follow through and donate their bone marrow. Two matches were found at a previous bone marrow drive organized by Rovero, but both people declined to donate their bone marrow. ``People should realize it's the second step that is key,'' said Alarcon, who adds he is especially empathetic em·pa·thet·ic adj. Empathic. em  pa·thet i·cal·ly adv. to the Navarros' plight because he doesn't want them to lose a son as he did 10 years ago to a car accident. ``Any time I deal with a situation like this, I draw on (my son's death), and that's why I would donate my bone marrow, not just because I'm an elected official,'' said Alarcon, who plans to have his blood tested today. ``For me it goes beyond that. I don't want anybody else to go through that experience of losing a son.'' Rovero, who organized today's bone marrow drive after meeting the Navarros, said it breaks her heart to see the effects of leukemia, especially on children, and encouraged the community to show up for today's drive. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Amador Navarro, 5, his mother, Alejandra, and father, Jose, are seeking public help for a bone marrow match. David Sprague/Daily News |
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