Their best chance of a match will come from a member of their own race. The girls are African American. About 30 people per day, of all races, die for lack of an exact donor match. Jade developed a series of infections and high fevers a year ago. In February she finally was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia.
All blood cells develop in the bone marrow.
The result is potentially life-threatening anemia, infection and bleeding. Killing off the cancer would require large doses of drugs and radiation to wipe out all of Jade's bone marrow, followed by a bone-marrow transplant. Once the cancer is destroyed, the transplant restores the production of normal blood cells. Potential donors must be 18-60 years old, in general good health and meet certain weight guidelines. A small vial of blood will be collected and tested to see if its qualities match those of a patient who is waiting for a bone-marrow transplant.