Montgomery County community rallies behind woman fighting MDS diagnosis
The 57-year-old is a U.S. Army veteran and a retired fire department engineer.
WILLOW GROVE, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- A Montgomery County community is rallying around a woman who is desperately searching for a blood stem cell donor.
Yolanda Lee of Willow Grove is battling a disorder called Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS), which requires her to need blood transfusions three times a week.
The 57-year-old is a U.S. Army veteran and a retired fire department engineer.
On Sunday, the Crestmont Community hosted a blood stem cell registration drive, in hopes of finding potential donors.
Lee told Action News finding donors is not always easy.
"There's over 40 million people in the donor registry. Unfortunately, that was not a match for me, because stem cell transplants is based on your ethnicity," she said. "And unfortunately, of the 40 million people, only 4% of the 40 million are African Americans."
Lee says all it takes is a simple swab of your mouth to learn whether you are able to be a donor.
The donation process is similar to giving blood.
Officials say donors must be between 18 and 55 years old to qualify.
To learn more about Lee's story, click here.
