A Lifesaving Call: The Critical Need for Blood Stem Cell Donors for BIPOC Patients
Lou Berrio and his daughter Itzel Berrio Hayward. Courier photo/Andrew Alonzo
When Itzel Hayward’s father Lou was diagnosed with a blood cancer curable only by a blood stem cell transplant, the family was shocked. They soon faced another challenge: finding a compatible donor.
Lou is a Black Panamanian and blood stem cell matches rely on genetic markers often tied to a person’s ethnicity. However, donor registries lack the diversity needed to provide equal access for people of color.
Knowing this, Itzel and her family have joined forces with other advocates like Ella Holton-McCoy to address this disparity. This work isn’t just about saving individual lives—it’s about addressing systemic disparities and ensuring equitable healthcare for an increasingly diverse population.
Their story is a call to action. Text Lou4Life to 61474 or go to https://my.bethematch.org/Lou4Life today to find out how to join the registry. In most cases, all it takes is a cheek swab—and you could save a life. There are other ways to help below.
“We want everyone—especially people with Black or Latin American ancestry—to understand what it means to join the registry. Any one of us could be the person who saves another’s life.”
Jordan’s Story: A Fight Against the Odds
Jordan Jackson-Clark’s battle with leukemia began in August 2020 in an unlikely way: recurring stomach pains. After several emergency room visits, a doctor delivered the devastating diagnosis: acute myeloid leukemia, a form of cancer that causes the bone marrow to produce abnormal blood cells. His doctors told him that his only hope for a cure was finding a matching blood stem cell donor. But the reality hit Jordan, a man of Black and Jewish heritage, hard: Black patients have only a 23% chance of finding a donor in the registry, compared to 77% for white patients.
While waiting, Jordan managed the physical toll of intense chemotherapy treatments by maintaining hope. At the same time, his family, including his girlfriend, Ella Holton-McCoy, led campaigns, wrote articles, and rallied the community in an effort to find a match, partnering with fraternities and reaching out to multiple communities. Despite adding over 200 people to the registry, Jordan’s family was unable to find a match for him.
There was a silver lining: it turned out that Jordan’s leukemia contained a rare mutation and was cured by his intense chemo sessions. Even an additional treatment meant to extend his hospital stay after the conclusion of the chemo sessions couldn’t keep Jordan down. Ella recalled, "The doctors said he'd be in the hospital for an additional week, but Jordan was adamant he'd be out sooner. True to his word, he was discharged in three weeks, just as he had predicted." His optimism and resilience became a driving force, surprising even the medical team. He’s back at work and thriving, living as if the leukemia never happened. The experience revealed to Ella, and many around them, the urgent need to diversify the donor registry.
Ella’s Story: From Advocate to Donor
Ella joined the blood stem cell donor registry during Jordan’s fight, hoping against the odds that she might be his match. Though she wasn't, years later, she received an email that would change someone else’s life: she was a match for someone else seeking a donor.
“When I read the email, my heart skipped a beat,” Ella said. “I joined the registry for Jordan, but now I had the chance to help someone else. There was never any doubt—I knew I wanted to do it.”
Ella underwent medical assessments to ensure she was healthy enough for the procedure, followed by a series of treatments to stimulate stem cell production. “I had some body aches, but it was manageable,” she recalled.
The donation itself was straightforward. “They handled everything—flights, accommodations, even meals. Jordan came with me, which made a huge difference,” Ella said. “I was hooked up to a machine that drew my blood, collected the stem cells, and returned the rest. It took about three hours, and I just watched TV and chatted with the nurses.”
Afterward, Ella felt deeply fulfilled. “I was tired, but knowing I could save someone’s life made it all worth it. I kept thinking about the recipient—someone with so much more life left to live. It was an honor to be part of that.”
Ella’s journey highlights the ease of donating and the joy of helping a stranger. It also fuels her advocacy to ensure more BIPOC individuals register as donors. “It’s not as scary or painful as people think—and it’s an opportunity to give someone else a second chance at life.”
“It’s easy to think someone else will do it, but you could be that someone. Joining the registry takes minutes. Saving a life lasts forever.”
Itzel, Teo, and Lou’s Story: A Family’s Urgent Plea
Lou Berrío, a retired U.S. Navy veteran, treasures life’s simple blessings. A photograph of his grandson Teo wearing Lou’s newsboy cap never fails to bring a smile to Lou’s face.
In November 2023, Lou’s life took an unexpected turn when he, like Jordan, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. Almost immediately, Lou was placed on the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) Registry, formerly known as Be The Match. To his family’s surprise, a match was found within weeks. However, before Lou could begin the transplant process, the matched donor backed out.
“It was so early during my treatment that I was surprised there was a donor available right away,” Lou recalled. “I was still in denial about how serious my condition was. So, although I was disappointed, I wasn't devastated. It wasn’t until months later, still waiting, that I realized just how valuable that donor was to me.”
Lou’s daughter, Itzel, who had already been a registered donor for decades, took her advocacy efforts further following her father’s diagnosis. She began organizing blood stem cell donor drives and sharing stories on social media, hoping to inspire others to join the registry. “It’s been kind of on the fringes of my awareness for 30 years,” Itzel said. “But now that it’s touching someone so close to me, I’ve dug in deeper than ever before.”
For Itzel’s 9-year-old son Teo, his abuelo’s condition has inspired a deep sense of compassion and a desire to help in any way he can. Teo is using school projects to help spread awareness and encourage his classmates’ adult family members to join the blood stem cell donor registry. He wrote a report on Panamanian Rod Carew—a baseball Hall-of-Famer and vocal NMDP advocate—to present to all of the families at his school. And he is taking a leadership role in Pear Tree Community School’s upcoming swapping drive on its Chabot campus on December 6, 6pm-7:30pm. “Everyone is invited to come. This isn’t just for my Abuelo,” Teo said. “It’s for anyone who needs a match.”
Lou’s family’s work has united not only their community but also strangers across the country and beyond. “The odds are stacked against patients of color,” Itzel shared. “We want everyone—especially people with Black or Latin American ancestry—to understand what it means to join the registry. Any one of us could be the person who saves another’s life.”
Lou is just one of the thousands of patients of color facing struggles in finding a match. Despite the challenges, his optimism is unshakeable. As he puts it, “I understand the reluctance of the African American community to trust the medical establishment. But now that I’m on the other foot, I want to do everything I can to change that reluctance. We need to participate in the system to help people like us, to help the next generation.”
Lou Berrio. Courier photo/Andrew Alonzo
How You Can Help
There are a number of ways you can support patients seeking blood stem cell donors:
Register: Attend a local donor drive or go to NMDP’s website or text Lou4Life to 61474 to have a free cheek swab kit sent to your home.
Stay Committed: If matched, your donation can give someone a second chance at life.
Spread the Word: Encourage your friends and adult family members to register. If you have children in college, encourage them to organize donor drives among their classmates.
Every cheek swab adds hope to the registry, increasing the chances of saving lives like Lou’s.
For anyone hesitant about joining the registry, Ella has this to say about her experience as a donor:
“It’s easy to think someone else will do it, but you could be that someone. Joining the registry takes minutes. Saving a life lasts forever.”