STANTON : Bone Marrow Drive Planned for Girl, 8

To help save the life of 8-year-old Christie Kowalsky, who suffers from a potentially fatal blood disease, several community service groups and the city have organized a bone marrow drive to be held today.

Christie has aplastic anemia, which impairs the body’s ability to produce red and white blood cells and platelets, leaving her susceptible to a wide range of illnesses. She has been hospitalized almost constantly since May, when her condition was diagnosed, and has had to receive blood transfusions every other day.

Although Christie should get out of the hospital today, she will be unable to attend the drive, said her mother, Kathy Kowalsky.

Still, “she’s doing real well, as far as how she feels,” Kowalsky said. “We just went through 10 days of antibiotics because she was running a temperature.”

Kowalsky said letters of support from friends and strangers have helped Christie enormously.

“I feel very optimistic. I feel this little girl is going to rally around and going to make it,” she said. “She really wants to go back to school in September. That’s her goal.”

Christie’s family and doctors have said they hope to find a donor to give her new marrow, which would restore her body’s ability to produce an adequate supply of blood cells.

The marrow drive will be held today from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the West Anaheim Moose Lodge, 2232 Sequoia Ave., in Anaheim.

Christie’s doctors had hoped that a newly approved medication would reverse her condition, but that does not appear to be working, Kowalsky said. A marrow transplant will probably be necessary, but only one in 20,000 donors is likely to be a match for her.

At the marrow drive, a medical team from the City of Hope national medical center in Duarte will test the blood of volunteers for a tissue match with Christie. The tests have already been paid for by donations. Donors whose tissue type does not match will be entered in the national marrow donor program and may be able to help others with a similar blood diseases.

“We’re here to help Christie, but if we help someone else, that’s golden,” said Ken Mooney, a spokesman for the family. Mooney said the public’s support of the family has been “phenomenal.” More than 160 people have signed up to take the 10-minute blood test, and many more are expected to walk in. Donations to the family have exceeded $20,000.

Still, a match has yet to be found. “Until we actually have a match, we’re going to continue doing marrow drives,” he said.

Also, the family may find out next week whether a match can be found through the national marrow program.

For information, call (714) 971-7963. To make an appointment for a blood test, call (714) 826-7919.