Latina Leader Spotlight: Yolanda Loera
Q: What is your ethnicity and where do you currently live?
A: My name is Yolanda, I am mixed race, my father immigrated to the United States from Mexico in the 70's and my mother is of European ancestry or White from Illinois. I currently live in Southern California.
Q: Tell us about your cause!
A: Thank you for letting me share this very important information about the national marrow donor program run by Be The Match.
The lack of Latino/Hispanic representation in this registry greatly affects Hispanic/Latino Blood Cancer and Blood Disease patients all over the world. Most people don't know that every 3 minutes someone is diagnosed with a blood cancer and every 10 minutes someone will die because of these diseases.
A majority of these deaths could be prevented if patients could find a matching blood stem cell or marrow donor but it is very difficult to find a match. Patients only have a 30% chance to match with a family member so 70% of the time they are forced to turn to the Be The Match registry to search for a matched unrelated donor. Patients are most likely to match with someone that shares their same ethnicity.
This means Hispanic/Latino patients need healthy Hispanic/Latino individuals between the ages of 18-44 years old to sign up to put their name on this donor registry to be called to donate Peripheral Blood Stem Cells or Marrow if they match a patient. Currently Hispanic/Latino patients only have a 46% chance to find a match compared to White patients who have a 77% chance of finding someone who can donate to them. If you are a mixed Latina like me your chance to find a match automatically drops to 15%. That's why we need everyone of every ethnicity but especially ethnically diverse people, to join the registry so every patient has a chance at finding a cure.
You only donate if you match, 1 in 430 people go on to match a patient in need. Donating is safe, free, confidential and donation is worked around the donor and patient's schedules. If travel is required, travel expenses, meals and hotel are covered for the donor and one companion. All lost wages, babysitters, pet sitters and any other expense regarding donation is covered by the patient's Insurance or Be The Match. They do all they can to make it easy for you to help this patient and their family.
Q: What is the first step Latinas can take to help their communities?
A: Text: LatinasCreate To: 61474 to sign up to save a life!
It only takes about 10 minutes to join the registry to order the swab kit to your house. Once you send the text message LatinasCreate (typed all as one word) to the number 61474, Be The Match will text you back a link. You click on that link and then you will be taken to the start of the registration page, from there you click on the blue box that says JOIN THE REGISTRY. You will enter your information to create your account and have the kit sent to your house. In 1-2 business weeks the swab kit will arrive and you simply swab your cheeks following the instructions on the inside of the swab kit envelope. You then place them back in the envelope and send them back to Be The Match using the envelope provided. Once your kit has been returned you are officially on the most special waiting list of heros and Be The Match will only contact you if you match a patient in need.
Q: What other message do you want to share with other Latinas?
A: It is very easy to not think about Cancer and these diseases until they personally affect someone we love. It's then we all want to fight to find a cure and do everything we can to save them but you have the opportunity to be that cure for a family who is in need now! Some of these kids have been searching since their first week of life and their tiny bodies are giving out! They need you to take 10 minutes out of your day to join the registry and they need you to stay committed to donating to them if you are called as a match.
I know from experience how great it feels to save a life! I joined the Be The Match registry when I was 19 years old. 15 years later I got called as a match to an 8 year old boy with Leukemia and went on to donate Peripheral Blood Stem Cells to him. I literally sat in a chair, watched TV for like 4 hours, donated blood stems cells and I got to save a life! The amazing feeling knowing I am the reason this little boy gets to grow up and his family gets to have their son outweighs any minor inconvenience I dealt with to donate. You have the power to cure someone's cancer and save a life but first you have to put your name on the Be The Match registry!
I want you to meet Julian, he has been searching on the registry for the last 5 years. He was able to find an 8/10 match but his body rejected those cells. He had two more transplants from his mother and father who are half matches for him but unfortunately his body rejected those cells as well. Julian's tiny body is giving out and he needs to find a perfect 10/10 match so he can make it to 9 years old and beyond.
As a mother it breaks my heart watching this boy have 3 transplants in 3 months hoping and praying the cells will take. I can't imagine the torture his parents are going through doing all they can, giving their blood cells to save their son and it not working!
Please take a couple minutes to put yourself in their shoes. What if it was you? Your son or daughter? Mother or father? Sister or brother? I can go on but it shouldn't matter who it is. We as people should be willing to deal with a day of inconvenience to help save someone's life! I hope you will decide to take 10 minutes to see if you can save Julian or one of the other 12,000 searching patients who don't have matches in their families. If you have any questions or want to know other ways you can help educate and raise awareness to save Hispanic/Latino lives please reach out on IG @answerforcancer_btm or email me at yolanda@icla.org Text: LatinasCreate To: 61474 Who will you save?
