In the safety of her home, Gracie Chavez is an average 3-year-old. She plays with race cars and loves Legos.
Her parents, Anthony and Jacque Chavez help her build things like castles and towers. Sometimes, they just sit and watch her. "It makes me think of everything I want her to have." her mom Jacque said.
Gracie has Aplastic Anemia, a disease that could kill her. Her bone marrow can't produce blood cells making her weak and brittle. She needs constant blood transfusions to survive. Her dad, Anthony keeps a picture of The Archangel Michael around her neck to protect her. "Having it on someone this young, it's a symbol of the fragile nature of Gracie." he said.
Gracie has one shot at survival. She needs to find a genetically matching donor to replace her bone marrow. "She'll be cured, the disease will have gone away and she can be a normal kid," her dad added.
Finding a perfect match isn't easy. The registered donor pool is just 12 million people deep and there are too many genetic codes to count. Chavez calls it "genetic bingo." .
Hundred of people packed The Visalia Blood Center to give DNA samples. Rolando Sanchez says, "I'm trying to make a difference, this is better than donating money. I'm trying to do everything I can, try to save a little girl's life."
TXT 24
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