Kingston's Story
Kingston is in the 2nd grade this year and his favorite subject is math. He plans to one day become a police officer. He plays soccer and loves superheroes, games, and YouTube. He also has a younger sister, Zealand, who is 5 years old. His mother, Alicia, describes him as, “the kindest, sweetest boy you could ever meet. He has the biggest heart and cares about others more than himself, even during his illness.”
Kingston was diagnosed in February with a rare form of Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma. He was in the hospital for 2 months and has since been through multiple chemo treatments, and was searching for a bone marrow transplant. He is multi-racial (Samoan, Peruvian, white), which made finding a match a little more challenging.
Ethnicity matters when looking for a bone marrow donor, as patients more closely match with donors of the same background. While 6 out of 10 patients will find an unrelated matching donor on the registry, it can be more difficult for others.
Probability of finding an unrelated matching donor if you are:
- White/Caucasian: 77%
- American Indian: 57%
- Hispanic/Latino: 46%
- Asian/Pacific Islander: 41%
- Black/African American: 23%
Registering as a donor is a quick and easy process - request your kit in the mail, swab your cheeks, and send it back. A quick 3-minute check swab could be the difference needed to provide patients like Kingston with blood cancer and blood disorders a second chance at life!
DKMS Contact Person
