Family pleads for stem cell donors of African descent to help save their two-year old son
Jacob Marfo is asking Edmontonians to give ten minutes of their time, and a little bit of saliva, to potentially save his son’s life.
Jacob’s two-year old son, Ezra Marfo, was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia in May 2021. Just after his second birthday in July, the family was told the cancer was spreading. After what Jacob said is too many cancer treatments to count, now Ezra needs a stem cell donation.
The problem is, there just aren’t enough donors that match Ezra’s origin.
“Ezra is of African descent, and so unfortunately, in Canada’s stem cell registry, less than one per cent of people who join the registry are of African descent,” said Adrienne Sanuan, community development manager for the stem cell program at Canadian Blood Services.
“So it makes it a lot more difficult for people who share Ezra’s ethnicity to find a match for a transplant.”
Sanjuan said that only 33 per cent of the stem cell registry consists of ethnically diverse individuals, which is not a proportionate representation of the diversity within the Canadian population.
Ezra has spent most of his life in the hospital, unable to go outside or play with other children because he is immunocompromised. (Supplied)
Jacob has partnered with Canadian Blood Services to help raise awareness of Ezra’s need for a donor and for the need for more donors from diverse backgrounds.
A swab event at the Church of Pentecost Edmonton is running from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, they will be collecting swabs and looking for a match for Ezra and others waiting on the donor list. Potential donors can also go to blood.ca/swab4ezra to order swab kits online.
“Ezra needs your help. Especially if you are of African origin, Ezra needs you,” Jacob said.
Jacob said the process to become a donor is simple. After answering a few health questions, you get a swab kit to collect DNA. Jacob adds the swabs are not anything like the uncomfortable COVID-19 nasal swabs - they are simply swept along the inside of the mouth.
Most people on the registry will never receive a phone call to donate, Sanjuan said, but those who do won’t need an invasive surgery, as 90 per cent of donations are made through a process similar to donating blood.
Jacob donated his own cells in September 2021, and he said it’s a simple process. Donors take medication that pulls stem cells from their bone marrow, then the donor’s blood is run from their body into a machine to filter out the stem cells before it’s fed back into the donor.
Unfortunately, Jacob is not the best match for Ezra and his cells didn’t work as well, leaving the family desperately looking for a better match. Without good stem cells, Ezra can’t produce his own red blood cells and platelets, which have been destroyed by cancer.
Jacob said it’s getting worse every day, with the cancer having spread to 85 per cent of his body.
Jacob Marfo was told just after Ezra's second birthday that the cancer was spreading, and his son's condition was getting worse. (Supplied)
“It used to be every few days, but every day now he needs blood transfusions,” Jacob said. “Just to be able to survive and move to the next day.”
With new healthy stem cells replicating and producing healthy blood components, Erza would be able to better fight the cancer that has made the toddler almost unrecognizable from a year ago.
“24-hours he’s in the crib, because you can’t even lift him,” Jacob said. “He’s so bloated and every bone hurts so much, so he’s not even able to move or anything.”
“Just with the saliva, you’ll be saving Ezra’s life. And if it’s not a match for Ezra, you’ll be saving other children’s lives, other parents, and all the people who are on the database waiting for a match.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Humboldt Broncos bus crash survivor qualifies Canada for Paralympics in rowing event
Former Humboldt Broncos goaltender and bus crash survivor Jacob Wassermann has qualified Canada for a rowing event for the 2024 Paralympic games in Paris.
Baby boom amongst nurses leads to maternity ward closure in Listowel, Ont.
The emergency room at Listowel’s hospital is open today, but come summer, their obstetrics unit will be temporarily closing its delivery rooms.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
Krispy Kreme doughnuts coming to McDonald's in U.S., but not Canada
Canadians will be missing out on a sweet new partnership between McDonald's and Krispy Kreme, which will see doughnuts available at McDonald's locations across the U.S. by the end of 2026.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Quebec judge orders bus driver to stand trial for 2023 daycare crash deaths
A judge has ordered a Quebec man to stand trial on charges of first-degree murder in the deaths of two children killed when a bus rammed into a Montreal-area daycare last year.