this Florida father of one teenage boy spread virally Tik Tok Seeking help to save his son who is battling a rare blood disease. Father Juan Uribe issued a heartfelt plea on social media.
in a Videos viewed more than 15 million timesUribe said: “My name is Juan and I am posting this because I need your help to save my son.”
Uribe went on to explain that his son Max’s blood disease will develop into myelodysplastic syndrome or acute myeloid leukemia, blood cancers that could be fatal if he doesn’t receive a stem cell transplant within the next few months.
Tampa Bay’s Fox 13 News reported that Marquez’s family thought they had a game, but it ended up falling through. The 15-year-old reportedly suffered from clonal cytopenia.
“This is a parent’s worst nightmare,” Uribe told the outlet. “Too bad.”
Who is Juan Uribe?
Other than Uribe asking netizens to save his son, not much has been revealed about Uribe. He said in the video that his son is 50% Colombian and “for minorities, it’s hard to find the perfect partner.”
Uribe urged social media users ages 18 to 35 to visit the stem cell registry website, request a kit, take a cheek swab and send it in to find out if they are a match for Marquez or any other patient in need of a stem cell transplant. He explains that this process is “one of the easiest ways to impact the world and save lives.”
“If you don’t end up matching with my son, you might be matched with someone else and you’ll save a life,” he said in the video.
In another video, Uribe thanked netizens for their support. “On behalf of my wife, my son and my entire family, I want to say a huge thank you for the outpouring of support and love you have shown. It has been amazing to see this community rally around my son, and I am increasingly convinced that with your support, we can actually overcome the odds and find the perfect match for my son,” he said.
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Uribe revealed that Marquez has a twin sister who is in ninth grade. “He’s very diligent in school. I never have to remind him to do his homework,” Uribe said in another video.
Describing his son, Uribe said the young man loved sports and was passionate about football, wrestling and tennis. Max also enjoys playing the piano.
Uribe went on to explain how long it would take to find a match for his son was up to the public.
“It’s going to depend on how quickly you request the kit, how quickly you get others to sign up, and how quickly you return the kit once it’s mailed to you,” Uribe said in the video. “Remember, once you receive the kit, do your swab immediately and send it back the same day or the next day. Once the kit is received by the organization, the registry, it will take a few weeks to process it and then upload everything to the registry, so time is of the essence.”
How the process works
A nonprofit called NMDP whose goal is to save the lives of patients with blood cancers and diseases says on its website that 13 percent of its stem cell registry members are Hispanic or Latino. “But this is not enough to meet the needs of Hispanic patients seeking unrelated blood stem cell donors. To increase this number, NMDP is working to break down barriers to enrolling in the registry,” the nonprofit said, adding that every three to four minutes someone in the United States is diagnosed with blood cancer.
When a member of the NMDP registry is matched with someone who needs a stem cell transplant, the nonprofit contacts the potential donor and may request additional blood tests. Potential donors are required to complete a medical exam. The cost will be borne by NMDP.
The nonprofit will even cover all donation and travel expenses, including airfare, hotel stays and meals for potential donors and their companions. Most donations are made using circulating blood. NMDP says most donors are able to return to normal activities within one to seven days.
