A Fort Worth family is rallying North Texans to save their 8-year-old son, George Morford, who was diagnosed two months ago with a rare and aggressive form of leukemia.
On May 3, the Morfords will host a swab drive at University Baptist Church, 2720 Wabash Ave. in Fort Worth, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., urging community members to join the stem cell donor registry to find a life-saving match for George and others in need.
George, a spirited third-grader, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in February. He requires a stem cell transplant to survive, but finding a compatible donor is challenging, as matches depend on close genetic similarities. About 70% of patients with leukemia don’t have a compatible match within their family and must look to others for a possible match, George’s father, Zac Morford, noted, per NBC 5 DFW.
“Matches are rare because you need a very close genetic match, and so, the more people that are there, the better the odds that we’ll find a match for George, and for all the other patients who are looking for donors for stem cells,” said Morford.
“If you are healthy between 18 and 55 years old, you can spend five or six minutes of your day and you can potentially save a life, which I just know as a mother, I would do that for any other mother,” George’s mother, Sarah Morford, told NBC 5 DFW.
The swab drive, organized in partnership with Earl Young’s Team, a nonprofit fighting blood cancer, invites healthy adults aged 18 to 55 to swab their cheeks and join the donor registry. The process could identify a match for George or one of thousands awaiting transplants.
George’s friends and classmates have put together a video on social media to encourage the community to show their support for George and other leukemia patients by participating in the event. Their goal is to reach 1,500 registrations.
The May 3 swab drive will feature music, a taco truck, and a Kendra Scott jewelry giveaway. People who would like to join the registry but cannot attend can visit the Earl Young’s Team website to request a free at-home swab test kit.