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Kudos to Rihanna.
The platinum-selling music superstar is lending her name and using her influence for something other than promoting a product. The 'Pon De Replay' singer is urging her fans to help save the life of Shannon Tavarez, an 11-year-old star of Broadway's hit musical 'The Lion King' who was recently diagnosed with acute leukemia.
"Being a performer myself I know what it's like to be given the opportunity of a lifetime at a young age, and I would have been destroyed if that was taken away from me," the Def Jam Records chart topper and CoverGirl spokeswoman said. "Shannon deserves to live and share her beautiful voice with the world."
Rihanna, who Tavarez considers her idol, got wind of her plight and felt she had to do something to help – urging her fans to register with DKMS at WWW.GETSWABBED.ORG to save Shannon's life and the lives of other leukemia patient's life.
Tavarez, who performed four shows a week as young Nala in 'Lion King,' needs a bone marrow transplant. Her mother is African American, and her father is Dominican. According to a spokesperson, only 8 percent of the 7 million registered donors are African American, which means that only 17 percent of African Americans in need of a transplant will receive one.
"When I found out, it hit me really hard, like someone was throwing a ball at me," said the talented tween, who currently lives at Schneider Children's Hospital in Long Island, where she receives daily chemotherapy treatments. "It was shocking and I thought, why me?"Brought to America in 2004 by Katharina Hart, the organization's mission is to save lives by recruiting bone marrow donors for leukemia patients. More than 20,000 DKMS donors have helped save lives by donating their bone marrow. Founded in 1991 by Peter Hart in Germany, DKMS is the largest bone marrow donor center in the world with more than 2 million registered donors.
"When I listened to Shannon's voice, I got really sad. Her voice is so beautiful. She should be performing on Broadway, but she is confined to her bed, fighting for her life. Shannon needs to find a bone marrow donor to survive. I urge all my fans to register with DKMS," said Rihanna, who has close ties to DKMS.
The cost to DKMS for registering a new potential bone marrow donor is $65. DKMS does not make paying the fee mandatory, but it depends on public donations and appreciate any contribution.
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By: Dee Dee on 7/16/2010 12:17AM
I can say that I lost my beautiful African Queen, my lovely daughter at age 26 from AML (Acute Myeloid Leukemia)and I pray for this baby and her family. Their journey is one I've traveled, as i watched my daughter fight for her life. I can say that she and anyone fighting cancer are the STRONGEST individuals on earth.
I learned thru her year long journey before losing her battle, that we African Americans, are least represented on the NBM registry. But first to dispel some inaccuracy's....it does NOT cost African Americans to become registered on the registry. It does cost Caucasians become they are OVER represented in the registry. My daughter sponsored a bone marrow registry on her local college campus, conducted by the American Red Cross 3 months before passing.
Because her only sibling was not a match with 3 out of 4 markers, she had to have a cord blood transplant instead. Cord blood is the immature cells from umbilical cords. Because they are immature cells, ethnicity does not matter...meaning blacks can receive cord blood from white babies. The drawback is it takes immature cells longer to mature enough to produce healthy bone marrow, time some patient's like my daughter did not have.
So to get on my soap box, when I think of how many black babies are born in any community, and all the umbilical cords with precious livesaving stem cells that are discarded, it makes me weep for my daughter's life and all those who have lost their battle with acute leukemia.
So, for whatever reason, we as blacks need to stop complaining and condemning those who are shedding light on this cause. I watched Nelly fight for his sister, holding bone marrow drives, in hopes of saving her life. She too had 2 cord blood transplants before losing her battle with leukemia. Think before you speak, because i can tell you, if this were your child, there would be NO price too high to pay to save her life!!!
To sponsor a bone marrow drive in your community, contact your local Red Cross, they will set up everything. All you have to do is set a place & date, get the word out, they will have professionals on site to perform the cheek swabs. Also, if you are registered and found to be a match for someone, you have the right to defer, why anyone would, I do not know. The recipient's insurance company provides stipends to donors. I watched my daughter go thru several bone marrow aspirations and the discomfort would so be worth saving a life. Just think, a 250ml bag of blood could save this child's or someone else's life.
So put your personal thoughts about Rhianna aside, and think of this child and her family. Let's pray for this and all family's dealing with cancer, it is not a journey that is taken alone.
GOD BLESS SHANNON AND HER FAMILY AND MAY GOD WALK THIS JOURNEY WITH YOU ALL.
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