SAN JOSE, Calif. – The San Jose Earthquakes are joining Be The Match in their campaign to help find a bone marrow match for 4-month-old Bruno Lara, who was recently diagnosed with an extremely rare immunodeficiency disease called HLH. Be The Match will be in the 7UP Epicenter at the Quakes game on Saturday, March 24 at 7:15 p.m. against Club Leon, collecting cheek swabs to register fans in the bone marrow registry.
Lara, whose family has Quakes Season Passes, needs chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant to treat this life-threatening condition, but does not have a match and is racing against the clock to find one. The family and the Quakes organization are working with Be The Match to get as many people registered for the bone marrow donor registry as possible. Fans that are unable to attend this Saturday’s game can register online here.
During the game on Saturday, Quakes players will wear Lara’s name on their arms and wrists, and Club Leon will dedicate the match to him with social media support. The Quakes have donated a team signed jersey to the Lara family, and former Earthquakes player and current Club Leon forward Landon Donovan will donate his game-worn jersey from Saturday to the family.
Fans can also support the Lara family as they try to cover Lara’s medical expenses out of pocket through their gofundme page, and can post on social media with the hashtag #TogetherForBruno.
About Be The Match
Be The Match®, operated by the National Marrow Donor Program® (NMDP), is a nonprofit organization that’s dedicated to helping every patient get the life-saving transplant they need. As trusted leaders in advancing treatments for those facing life-threatening blood cancers, we provide the ground-breaking research, innovative technologies, patient support and education that save lives. For the thousands of people diagnosed every year with life-threatening blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma, a cure exists. Over the past 25 years, Be The Match ® has managed the largest and most diverse marrow registry in the world. We work every day to save lives through transplant.
