A bone marrow registration drive will be held Tuesday, March 12 at the Farmers Market at the Medical Offices of Kaiser Permanente Union City for Joey Tyquiengco, a Hayward resident who is battling cancer and in need of a bone marrow match.
Tiquiengco, 41, originally from Guam, was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) in 2011. He is being treated at University of California-San Francisco.
Before his cancer diagnosis, he worked at Costco in Hayward.
Joey has been active in hosting bone marrow/stem cell registration drives in the Bay Area within the Chamorro and Filipino communities to encourage them to become potential bone marrow/stem cell donors.
Guam is a big supporter of Joey since his diagnosis. Joey, his family and his supporters have been hosting bone marrow/stem cell registration drives in Guam with great success. Joey is still looking for his life-saving donor.
The national pool of Asian donors is small, and in the U.S., there is a shortage of minority donors on the national registry.
“Cancer affects everybody,” said James De Lara, Senior Outreach and Volunteer Manager for the Asian American Donor Program, a non-profit agency in Alameda that is partnered with Be The Match Foundation, the national organization that helps patients find a bone marrow or umbilical cord blood transplant donor, and receive treatment.
“We’re encouraging people to be a donor because by registering as a potential bone marrow or stem cell donor, you have the potential to save someone’s life,” De Lara said.
To donate, you must be between 18 to 44 years old; meet general health requirements; complete a consent form and do a cheek swab.
The registration drive will be held at the farmer’s market at Kaiser Permanente Union City from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The hospital address is 3553 Whipple Road, Union City.
Another drive will be held March 21 at the Kaiser Permanente Fremont Medical Center, 39400 Paseo Padre Parkway, Fremont.
For additional information on how to become a donor, visit www.aadp.org, or call 510-568-3700.