Maui Boy in Need of Bone Marrow Transplant

8 year-old Tavin Hashimoto of Kula.

The Hawaiʻi Bone Marrow Donor Registry will conduct a bone marrow donor drive at the Queen Kaʻahumanu Center on Friday, April 20, 2018 from 5 to 9 p.m. to help find a donor for eight-year-old Tavin Hashimoto of Kula.

Tavin had undergone six months of chemotherapy after he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia last year on March 17, 2017. Almost one year later, the cancer returned.

Tavin is among thousands of patients nationwide who are searching for that miracle match.

Those interested in registering need to be between the ages of 18 to 44, meet health guidelines and be willing to donate to anyone in need of a bone marrow transplant.

It takes about 10 minutes to fill out a form, answer a few health questions and complete the mouth cheek swab process.

No blood is collected at bone marrow donor drives.

Those who cannot attend the drive in person, can register online at no cost.

Since 1989, the Hawaiʻi Bone Marrow Donor Registry has helped facilitate more than 440 life-saving stem cell or bone marrow donations to patients with leukemia and other life-threatening diseases. Over 80,000 donors are registered in Hawaiʻi but more are needed.

Because Hawaiʻi has such a unique and diverse ethnic population, matches for bone marrow transplant patients are difficult to find especially those of ethnic minorities such as Asian and Pacific Islanders, according to registry representatives.

Donations are also being accepted via the Stand & Fight with Tavin Hashimoto GoFundMe page.