A youngster who has been the subject of local bone marrow drives has reportedly been matched with a donor.
According to Melba Bedard of the Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association, a match has been found for 18-month-old Nolan Trepanier of Cottam. The news was relayed by Bedard from Nolan's mother, Beth, on Thursday.
The donor's identity is not known at this time, said Bedard. Despite two drives held over the past three weeks, Bedard said the donor did not come from them.
"We are not privy to the information regarding the prospective donor," said Bedard. "This is all very confidential and any sharing is not done for at least one year post-transplant and only if both the recipient and donor agree to do this."
Nolan has been diagnosed with Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia ( JMML), a very rare and aggressive blood cancer that affects infants and young children. Less than one in a million children get it, and the best chance for a cure is through a bone marrow transplant.
Bedard said the Trepaniers will head to Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto sometime next week to continue the preparation process for a transplant.
The family has passed along its thanks to the community. Bedard said 387 people in Windsor-Essex have registered with the hope their bone marrow may help any of the thousands of Canadians waiting for a transplant.