Five year old Kai Anderson is like most boys his age. The Manhattan toddler loves playing with dirt and bugs....but his mother has to be extra careful because of Kai's weakened immune system as he battles leukemia.
The diagnosis came April 6th, 2009, only a year after his father, David, developed non-Hodgkins lymphoma, an incurable cancer. While Kai receives chemotherapy, his best hope for survival is to receive a bone marrow transplant. But finding a match is difficult.
Kai's mother, Birgit Anderson, says "only three out of ten people are able to find a match. That means seven out of ten people don't find a match. And to be a parent and to know that this is the statistic is devastating."
This Wednesday afternoon, June 10th, from noon until 5 p.m. there will be a bone marrow drive to help find a match for Kai. All you have to do is get your cheek swabbed. It'll take place at Appleseeds playground, 10 West 25th Street in Manhattan.
For more information on bone marrow transplants, and how to help Kai, go to www.hopeforkai.com, or www.dkmsamericas.org.
