Regina family holding bone marrow drive to find son a donor

A Regina family’s searching for a bone marrow match to keep their eight-year-old alive.

Two years ago, Ashley Chorneyko’s son, Vonn, was diagnosed with Fanconi anemia, a rare genetic disease which causes bone marrow failure and heightens the risk of developing cancer.

Now in the bone marrow failure stage, Vonn’s ready to get a transplant. However, when the family went to the registry to find a donor, Vonn was given the heart breaking news that he doesn’t have a match in the world bank.

“Without it, he will die. He’s in bone marrow failure. His body is not producing cells. He has low red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets,” Ashley said.

This weekend, the Chorneykos are holding a Canadian Blood Services’ OneMatch Stem Cell drive in hopes of finding a donor to save Vonn’s life. The registry will be on from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. on Saturday at the Co-operators Centre.

“We’re really desperate and we’re hoping to get as many people out,” she said. “It only takes one, and someone out there is the one. We know there’s a match out there.”

Anyone between 17 to 35 years old is eligible to become a bone marrow donor. Those interested in joining the world registry just need to take a few saliva swabs and fill out a basic health questionnaire.