http://www.nydailynews.co...y_leu.html




AOL Celebrities have stepped up to help a 6-year-old New York City girl who is suffering from a rare and particularly deadly form of leukemia.


Doctors fear Little Jasmina Anema could die unless she receives a bone-marrow transplant soon, according to the New York Daily News.


Jasmina Anema, 6, lies in a New York City hospital room. She suffers from a rare form of leukemia that doctors say could prove fatal if she doesn't get a bone-marrow transplant soon. Her family -- along with singers Kelly Rowland and Rihanna -- hope a donor drive Saturday will find a match, the New York Daily News reports. Click for successful transplant stories.(Note: Please disable your pop-up blocker)

Singers Kelly Rowland and Rihanna and NBA star Paul Pierce are spreading the word about a bone marrow drive to be held Saturday in hopes of finding a match for Jasmina.

The best bets for donors are usually family members and, in the case of Jasmina, a donor who is African-American like her. But Jasmina was adopted, and her mother is white. "I need thousands of people to come," Theodora Anema, Jasmina's mother, told the newspaper. The "One for Jasmina" Web site has information about the donor drive, as well as how to become a donor by requesting a simple kit.

'Everything became surreal because she's always been so healthy and so wonderful,' said Theodora Anema, Jasmina's mother.

Jasmina was diagnosed with NK cell Leukemia on Jan. 20.
Jasmina Anema turns 6 years old Wednesday, and the birthday party planned for her - with a fashion show, cake and an appearance by singer Kelly Rowland - is a dream come true.

But the celebration could be Jasmina's last.

The bubbly Greenwich Village kindergartner is suffering from a rare and especially fatal form of leukemia that doctors fear will take her life within two months unless she receives a bone-marrow transplant.

Jasmina's family - and celebrities like Rihanna and NBA star Paul Pierce, who were touched by her plight - hope a donor drive Saturday will produce the match needed to save her.

"I need thousands of people to come," Jasmina's mother, Theodora Anema, said Tuesday at NYU Medical Center as her ailing child clung to her neck. "She's the love of my life."

Jasmina's life was turned upside down on Jan. 20 when a doctor informed her she was suffering from NK cell Leukemia. The news was crushing. Anema had no idea the minor infection on her daughter's toe was a sign of something so sinister.

"Everything became surreal because she's always been so healthy and so wonderful," said Anema, a fashion designer and single mom.

Suddenly, Jasmina was in a fight for her life.

Daily bouts of radiation and chemotherapy began and quickly took their toll.

Her long locks are now gone. Her mouth is riddled with sores, sometimes so painful she cannot speak. And her immune system has become dangerously weakened.

Worse still, Jasmina's leukemia is proving especially difficult to treat.

"The leukemia is growing faster than the chemo can kill it," Anema said.

Even before the start of her daughter's treatment, Anema knew the battle would be fierce.

Because Jasmina is adopted and has no sibling, finding a donor match - which would most likely come from an African- American - is especially difficult.

Further complicating the search is that African-Americans are underrepresented in the national donor network and their DNA tends to be more varied.

"It's one in a million," Anema said. "We really need the African-American community to step up."

Some big names have already joined the cause.

Moved by a video a family friend made, pop sensation Rihanna has made a public plea for people to sign up as bone- marrow donors - done with a simple cheek swab.
Pierce and fellow NBA star Christopher Wilcox also have also helped get the word out.

Still, a match has yet to be found. For Anema, the waiting and worrying is something she says no one should ever endure.

"I don't want anyone in this world to ever have to wait for a bone-marrow donor, or even to have the uncertainty of finding someone," Anema said. "It's the worst situation to be in."

Jasmina's donor drive will be held Saturday at Public School 41 (116 W. 11th St.) in Manhattan,NY from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, contact DKMS, a nonpprofit marrow donor center: (866)-340-3567
[Edited 3/5/09 11:36am]

i didn't know! how amazing to be able to save her life... to give her a future!

That would be nice if all celebs could do that for all sick children everywhere