FULLERTON : 150 to Test Blood to Help Ailing Teen
At least 150 employees of St. Jude Hospital and Rehabilitation Center will undergo blood tests today to determine if their bone marrow is compatible with that of Brandon Oba, a 16-year-old suffering from leukemia.
Doctors say the youth, son of hospital employee Steve Oba, needs a bone marrow transplant if he is to have any hope of a healthy life.
Hospital officials said the blood tests will be performed from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Hospital employees, volunteers and members of the medical staff have volunteered to be tested.
Experts say the possibility of finding a “matching” donor is 1 in 20,000.
The cost of the blood test is $75 per test, but St. Jude Hospital and Rehabilitation Center has agreed to pay the costs of the tests performed on their employees.
“Most of those who have volunteered to be tested are very positive and upbeat,” said Karen Murray, a hospital lab employee. “We’re all hoping that one of us will be able to help Brandon.”
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