The family of Darren Wedertz, a Santa...

The family of Darren Wedertz, a Santa Margarita football player who is suffering from leukemia, is asking for volunteers to donate blood products, Gayle Herlehy, a representative for the family, said.

Wedertz collapsed after making a tackle during a junior varsity game against Newport Harbor on Nov. 7. He has been in a coma since the injury and has been diagnosed as having leukemia.

Herlehy said donors need to be tested to see if they have had the CMV virus.

CMV is a normally harmless virus, which 60% of the population has had at one time, according to Herlehy. However, she said anyone who has had the virus can not donate blood because Wedertz has never had the virus.

“That’s why we need young people, because they haven’t been exposed to CMV,” Herlehy said.

People are asked to call Children’s Hospital of Orange County at 532-8339 or Herlehy at 495-7149 for information or to set up an appointment.