Blanca Magallon bone marrow drive seeking match for Chicago police officer

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Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Chicago Police Officer Blanca Magallon
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CHICAGO (WLS) -- Blanca Magallon, a Chicago police officer and mother of four, is in need of a bone marrow transplant after she was diagnosed with leukemia in July.

To help her and 298 other patients who need a life-saving transplant in Illinois, a bone marrow drive will be held to register donors on Saturday, Nov. 29 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Chicago Police Dept. 1st District, 1718 South State Street, Chicago, IL 60616.

Event organizers say they are seeking donors between the ages of 18-44.

According to bethematch.org, a person is more likely to find a donor from the same racial or ethnic background, but it's harder for minorities. Hispanics are 83 percent likely to find a match and African American are only 76 percent as compared to whites at 97 percent, so, Magallon is pleading for people to get tested.

Blanca's GoFundMe page: http://www.gofundme.com/efokiw?pc=mb_em