Bone Marrow Drive For 5-Year-Old Girl Upcoming In New Haven

NEW HAVEN, CT — A bone marrow drive will be held this weekend to help find a donor for Jackie Erb the 5 year-old niece of New Haven residents Dr. Christopher Erb, Kimberly Garley-Erb, and Emily Erb. Be the Match and the Icla da Silva Foundation will hold the drive-through bone marrow donor registry event at Elm City Montessori School & Friends Center for Children Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Jackie has been diagnosed with JMML, a rare form of leukemia; a bone marrow donor match is the only cure. "We hope our New Haven community and neighbors will come out to help find a match," the family said in a statement. "Jackie’s cousins, Madeleine and Emerson, love Jackie and her sisters beyond words. We are doing everything we can to help."

Jackie’s family has partnered with Be the Match and the Icla da Silva Foundation to conduct the registry event. Participants will not exit their vehicles at the screening, during which they will self-administer a cheek swab and fill out a digital application. COVID safety protocols will be observed.

All residents aged 18-44, and generally in good health are invited to help find a potential match not only for Jackie, but for others in need of bone marrow donors.

For those who want to participate but cannot attend, test kits are available for home delivery upon request from Be the Match.

You can access a kit by going to the registration site or by texting match4jackie (all one word) to 61474.

In-person screening is preferable due to the urgent timeline and the short window in Jackie’s treatment plan during which the marrow donation can take place. If you are unable to join the registry, but you still want to support the family, a Go Fund Me page has been set up for donations.