Dire need for minority marrow donors, exemplified by woman waiting for year

WWLTV.com
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NEW ORLEANS - When Robin Roberts announced that she was battling a pre-leukemia form of cancer and would need a bone marrow transplant, she was also able to announce that her sister, WWL-TV's own Sally-Ann Roberts was a perfect match.

For so many people who need a bone marrow transplant, the wait for a match of any kind can take months or years.

Shadia Ishaq is a cancer patient who has been waiting since April for some kind of match.

She joined us Wednesday, along with Natalie Towe of the "Be the Match" bone marrow registry.

Becoming a bone marrow donor is easy through the "Be the Match" registry. For more information or to sign-up log on to join.Marrow.Org/roberts2012. You can also call them toll free at 1-800-marrow2 (627-7692.)

Remember to visit Clearview Mall on Thursday between 6 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. You can sign up for the bone marrow registry, get swabbed and get a free breakfast from Drago's Seafood Restaurant.

Get more information on the campaign on WWL-TV's Perfect Match webpage.