The Florida father of a teenage boy has gone viral for taking to TikTok to seek help to save his son, who is battling a rare blood disorder. The dad, Juan Uribe, has turned to social media with a heartfelt plea.
In a video that has gotten more than 15 million views, Uribe said, “My name is Juan and I’m posting this because I need your help to save my son.”
Uribe went on to explain that his son Max’s blood disorder will develop into MDS or AML, forms of blood cancer that can turn out to be fatal if he is not treated with a stem cell transplant in the next couple of months.
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Tampa Bay’s FOX 13 News reported that Max’s family thought they had a match, and it fell through. The 15-year-old has clonal cytopenia, per the outlet.
“It’s a parent’s worst nightmare,” Uribe told the outlet. “It is awful.”
Who is Juan Uribe?
Not much has been revealed about Uribe except his plea to Netizens to save his son. He said in the video that his son is 50 percent Colombian, and “for minorities, it’s very hard to find a perfect match.”
Uribe urged social media users ages 18 to 35 to visit a stem cell registry website, request a kit, perform a cheek swab, and send it in to find out if they are a match for Max or any other patient who needs a stem cell transplant. He explained that the process is “one of the easiest ways to have an impact on the world and save lives.”
“If you don’t end up matching with my son, you’ll probably match with someone else, and you’ll save a life,” he said in the video.
In another video, Uribe thanked Netizens for their support. “On behalf of my wife, my son and my entire family, we wanted to thank you so much for the outpouring of support and love that you have shown. It’s been amazing to see this community rally around my son, and I’m becoming more and more convinced that with your support, we can actually overcome the odds and find that perfect match for my son,” he said.
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Uribe revealed that Max, who has a twin sister, is in ninth grade. “He is very diligent when it comes to school. I never have to remind him to do his homework,” Uribe said in another video.
Describing his son, Uribe said that the youngster loves sports and is active with soccer, wrestling and tennis. Max also loves playing the piano.
Uribe then went on to explain that it is up to the public how much time it takes to find a match for his son.
“It’s going to be based on how quickly you request a kit, how quickly you get others signed up and how quickly you return the kit once it reaches you in the mail,” Uribe said in a video. “Remember, please, as soon as you get it, do the swabbing and send it back that same day or the next day. Once the organizations, the registries, receive the kits, it’s going to take several weeks to process it and then get everything uploaded into the registries, so time is of the essence.”
How the process works
A nonprofit called NMDP, whose goal is to save the lives of patients with blood cancers and disorders, said on its website that 13 percent of its stem cell registry members identify as Hispanic or Latino. “That’s not enough, though, to meet the needs of Hispanic patients looking for an unrelated blood stem cell donor. To increase that number, NMDP is working to break down barriers to joining the registry,” the nonprofit said, adding that someone in the US is diagnosed with blood cancer every three to four minutes.
When a member of NMDP’s registry matches with someone who requires a stem cell transplant, the nonprofit contacts the potential donor and may request additional blood work. The potential donor will need to complete a physical exam. The costs will be covered by NMDP.
The nonprofit will even pay for all donation and travel costs, including flights, hotel stays and meals for the potential donor and a companion. Most of the donations are done utilizing circulating blood. Most donors are able to return to their regular activities within one to seven days, said NMDP.