A local family is looking to the Chatham-Kent community for help finding a compatible bone marrow donor for their 16-year-old son who is in desperate need of a transplant.
Ethan Hunter of Chatham was diagnosed with lymphoma in August 2022 and has been undergoing treatment ever since. Two weeks ago, however, the teen’s condition worsened and he was admitted to hospital in London.
Shara Hunter, Ethan’s mother, said her son now needs a bone marrow transplant but, unfortunately, no one in their family is a match.
“When we started it was 23 per cent of his bone marrow that was affected by cancer. Now he’s at 52 per cent,” she said. “He’s on oxygen now, end-of-life care is now involved… He’s pretty rough. He’s in a lot of pain.”
Ethan is also in constant need of blood transfusions due to his illness. Shara said anyone who is willing to donate blood to Canadian Blood Services would be helping a great deal.
Shara said if a bone marrow donor cannot be found, Ethan only has around three to four months left to live.
“If he makes it through the next four to six weeks and they can get him into remission, then we’re off to Toronto if we find a match for the transplant,” she said.
Anyone who is in good health and between the ages of 17 and 59 can register as a bone marrow donor online or over the phone.
“It’s very easy to do,” said Shara. “You fill out a form online. It [takes] five minutes. They will send you a kit in the mail. You swab the inside of your cheek and send it back.
“When it shows up on the worldwide bone marrow registry, my son will get a hit if there’s a match.”
To register to be a donor, click here or call the Canadian Blood Services toll-free line at 1-888-236-6283.
