Congress answers young girl's plea to invest in donor program after father struggles to find a match
Isabella and her mom, Abby, met virtually with representatives in congress to share their story and make a real impact.
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- It has been said time and again that children are the future. Well, 9-year-old Isabella Valdez decided she couldn't wait to inspire change.
"I learned that no matter how old you are you can make a difference," Isabella Valdez said.
In 2018, Isabella's father, Eric Valdez was diagnosed with leukemia. The doctor recommended that he receive a stem cell transplant, but his wife Abby Valdez said they were having trouble finding a match.
"We checked the Be The Match registry. No luck," said Abby Valdez.
When it comes to finding a match, experts say some ethnic groups have a harder time. For example, the odds of finding a match for a white person is 79%, while the odds for a Black person is 29% according to Be The Match, a registry that connects patients with donor matches.
Abby said being Hispanic made it very difficult to find a match for her husband. Their process inspired her family to reach out to congress and ask lawmakers to invest more in the nation's bone marrow registry.
"We went and we asked congress to please support the Be The Match HLA Program," Abby Valdez said.
Isabella and her mom virtually met with representatives in congress to share their story and they recently found out they made a real impact. Not only is congress adding one million dollars in additional funding to the national marrow donor program, but Isabella learned a valuable lesson in using her voice to make change.
"She's been part of the process and she just wanted to make a difference as well," said Abby Valdez.
"I'd like to thank congress for listening to me," Isabella Valdez. "I love my dad and I learned that no matter how old you are, you can make a difference."
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