Westborough – Mira Tuteja is a beautiful little two-year-old girl who loves singing, having story books read to her and playing outside, according to her parents, Bhavya and Jatin. For nearly the last year, she has also had to battle an unfair opponent – leukemia.
Mira was first diagnosed with the cancer in May 2015 and unfortunately after going through four grueling rounds of chemotherapy, relapsed in February. She now requires a blood stem cell/bone marrow transplant. To help her find a match, her family and friends have organized a series of donor drives including one that will be held at the eBridge Montessori School, 57 E Main St #101, Westborough on Saturday, March 5 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. (The onsite drive is for those 18 – 44 years only. Those who are ages 45-60 years or who cannot make it that day are encouraged to register by going online at bethematch.org and using the promo code: mirasfighters.)
Participating in the drive is very easy – all that is required to see if you are a match for Mira or anyone else suffering from cancer is a simple, painless cheek swab. Drive participants must agree to donate for Mira or anyone else if you are a match and the need arises.
Ideally Mira’s perfect donor would be someone of South Asian/Indian origin. According to the National Marrow Donor Program, only 2 percent of the national registry is South Asian, so her family is hopeful that by spreading the word of her critical situation a donor will be found for her.
For more information on bone marrow transplants visit bethematch.org.
To learn more about how you can help Mira and to follow her journey, visit www.facebook.com/mirasfighters, on Twitter (@jtmsm), and the blog, mirastrong.wordpress.com.