15-year-old Max Uribe has been in search of a stem cell donor since he was just six years old, and now he only has weeks left before his condition becomes cancerous.
The teen was diagnosed with a rare blood disease that, if left untreated, will turn into MDS, a type of blood cancer.
Family and friends of Uribe aim to bring a swab drive to the University in Miami to give Max a better chance at finding a match.
Anyone aged 18 to 35 can help save Uribe’s life through a simple cheek swab, a process that only takes about five minutes.
By registering on this website, potential donors will receive a free swab kit, which will then be mailed back and tested to see if there is a match.
“I can assure that there’s no cost to you, this is safe, and that this is secure and confidential,” Juan Uribe, Max’s father, said in a video he posted on TikTok.
Even with over 42 million donors on the registry, Max has failed to find a match. Patients are more likely to match with someone of similar ancestry and Max, being half-Columbian and part Italian, British and German, has found it difficult to find a donor.
Max is from the Miami area, and receiving swabs from individuals of Colombian origin is imperative because this will give Uribe the highest chance of finding a match.
“As a father, I want to do everything I can to make sure that his survival from this and the minimization of complications through the process is as great as possible,” said Juan in an article from ABC News.
UM’s campus is familiar with these types of swab events. Just last week, the University of Miami’s Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity raised over $60,000 for the Gift of Life Marrow Registry, a nonprofit aiming to cure blood cancer through cell therapy.
Anyone who would like to request a swab kit can also do so through Max Uribe’s Gift of Life website here.