Calling all 18 to 44 year olds! Swab to save a life this Saturday, February 13 at the  “Be The Match Registry Drive” anytime from 10 AM  to 2 PM to see if you are a bone marrow or stem cell match for West Orange resident, Veronica DePauli.

10 year old Veronica DePauli was diagnosed with a rare genetic bone disease called Autosomal Dominant Osteopetrosis Type 2 in 2017. This causes bones to become dense and more prone to fracture. The denser that Veronica’s bones become, the less space that there is for the bone marrow to properly grow, which can ultimately lead to bone marrow failure.

The ONLY cure for Veronica’s disease is a stem cell or bone marrow transplant. These procedures, however, can only be completed after finding a matching bone marrow donor on the Be the Match registry — is significantly harder for Veronica because of her mixed Pervuaian, Ecuadorian and Uruguayan background.

This lack of diversity within the Be the Match registry, which is only 10% made up of people with Latino and Hispanic backgrounds, continues to threaten the health of Veronica.

In order to save Veronica’s life, the DePauli family wants the community to join in a collaborative effort to diversify the Be the Match registry by registering to become a donor. Elise Luciano and Federico Depauli are grateful for all the help from the community that they can get, as a bone marrow donor would significantly transform Veronica’s life.

For more information on Veronica DePauli, read this article