Elizabeth Nega knows that time is not on her side.
The Vancouver mom was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in February and she needs a bone marrow transplant.
Finding a suitable donor has been difficult.
She has been undergoing regular chemotherapy treatments since her diagnosis.
“The first time they told me if I get 90 per cent remission, they will treat it for two years with chemotherapy, then I will be fine,” Nega said. “Unfortunately, it didn’t show 90 per cent remission.”
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Nega, who goes by the name Elsa, and her family set up a website and social media channels to help in the search for a donor.
Nega, who was born in Ethiopia, needs a match from someone of African descent, which could prove to be a challenge.
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Ethnic diversity in the stem cell donor bank is woefully limited, according to Trudi Goels of Canadian Blood Services.
“Our registry is about 69 per cent Caucasian, which is huge and it doesn’t really reflect the diversity in Canada accurately,” she said.
“So what we really want to encourage is people who are of African descent to come forward and register to support Elsa.”
The ideal candidate is between 17 and 35 years of age. Men are preferred, but women are just as welcome.
Nega hopes a candidate can be found quickly. Her doctor said she can only do about two more chemotherapy treatments before they’ll have to stop.
“If I get bone marrow transplant, that means another chance to survive,” she said. “A second chance in my life. If I get that I will survive. That’s my thinking, that’s my hope.”
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