Nearly 100 people came out to join the Be The Match bone marrow registry. Family, friends and complete strangers drove from near and far to attend the drive.
"I saw your story on the news and I was compelled to come because I also lost both my parents to cancer and I have a sister dealing with cancer right now," said Rebecca Vigil of Victorville.
Vigils' sister is battling liver cancer.
"I just want people to be out there and help other people out. You never know when you might be in that position," said Vigil.
It is a position many will face. Each year, 12,000 people are diagnosed with life-threatening diseases like leukemia and lymphoma. Their only hope for a cure is a bone marrow transplant.
"The more people that we add to this list, the better chances for a lot of these patients to find matches. So it's a numbers game," said Joyce Valdez with Be The Match at City of Hope.
That means adding people of all races for a more diverse registry. To become a donor, you have to be willing to donate to anyone, be between 18 and 44 years old, and in good health.
Even if you missed the drive on Monday, you can log on to BeTheMatch.org and register online for a kit, and perhaps you can be someone's hope.
