Father Jude Salus, a Benedictine monk at St. Mary’s Abbey in Morristown, N.J., is coming to communities he served and the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey —and beyond —with a desperate plea for help for a 15-year-old boy with a rare blood disorder.
The priest is asking people of both genders, ages 18 to 35, of mixed heritage, with roots in the Caribbean or South America, who may also have European ancestry, to take a genetic test to determine whether they might be a match as a stem-cell donor for Max Uribe. He was diagnosed with the rare blood disorder more than two years ago.
A simple 30-second cheek swab is all it takes to see if someone is Max’s “genetic twin” and possibly save his life. To request a kit or learn more about Max’s story, click here. This vibrant, energetic ninth-grader excels in school, sports, and music.
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Father Salus made the plea in a letter published in the bulletin of Notre Dame of Mount Carmel Parish in the Cedar Knolls neighborhood of Hanover Township, N.J., where he formally served as pastor. Max is the grandson of Joseph and Gloria Uribe, who were Notre Dame parishioners for many years, and the son of Juan Uribe, Joseph and Gloria’s son, and his wife, Lucia. Father Salus taught Juan at Delbarton School, also in Morristown, run by the Benedictine community there.
Max’s doctors told the family that Max needs a stem cell transplant to repair his bone marrow. Because of his unique Afro-Latino and European heritage, Max has a rare marker (B*42:02) that makes finding a perfect-match donor very difficult. The prevalence of Max’s rare marker is higher among these groups.
A perfect match donor will raise Max’s five-year survival rate from 85 to 95 percent, a 10-percent increase. The reality is that white patients have an 80 percent chance of finding a perfect match, a Latin/Hispanic patient’s chances are only 50 percent, and a black patient’s are only 30 percent.
For an overview of the stem-cell donation process, click here.
Urgent search for stem cell donor to save boy #Catholic –
Father Jude Salus, a Benedictine monk at St. Mary’s Abbey in Morristown, N.J., is coming to communities he served and the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey —and beyond —with a desperate plea for help for a 15-year-old boy with a rare blood disorder.
The priest is asking people of both genders, ages 18 to 35, of mixed heritage, with roots in the Caribbean or South America, who may also have European ancestry, to take a genetic test to determine whether they might be a match as a stem-cell donor for Max Uribe. He was diagnosed with the rare blood disorder more than two years ago.
A simple 30-second cheek swab is all it takes to see if someone is Max’s “genetic twin” and possibly save his life. To request a kit or learn more about Max’s story, click here. This vibrant, energetic ninth-grader excels in school, sports, and music.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Father Salus made the plea in a letter published in the bulletin of Notre Dame of Mount Carmel Parish in the Cedar Knolls neighborhood of Hanover Township, N.J., where he formally served as pastor. Max is the grandson of Joseph and Gloria Uribe, who were Notre Dame parishioners for many years, and the son of Juan Uribe, Joseph and Gloria’s son, and his wife, Lucia. Father Salus taught Juan at Delbarton School, also in Morristown, run by the Benedictine community there.
Max’s doctors told the family that Max needs a stem cell transplant to repair his bone marrow. Because of his unique Afro-Latino and European heritage, Max has a rare marker (B*42:02) that makes finding a perfect-match donor very difficult. The prevalence of Max’s rare marker is higher among these groups.
A perfect match donor will raise Max’s five-year survival rate from 85 to 95 percent, a 10-percent increase. The reality is that white patients have an 80 percent chance of finding a perfect match, a Latin/Hispanic patient’s chances are only 50 percent, and a black patient’s are only 30 percent.
For an overview of the stem-cell donation process, click here.