LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A fund has been set up to help a local couple with their effort to get a lifesaving bone marrow transplant for their young son.
Rodd and Kellie Joseph found out in February that their baby boy Ryland, born last October, has a rare and life-threatening disorder called Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome, as Lake County News first reported earlier this month.
Children like Ryland with the more severe form of the disease, which predominantly affects boys, have a life expectancy of about 5 to 8 years, as Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome makes them prone to autoimmune deficiencies, bleeding, and other diseases like leukemia or lymphoma.
At this time, only a bone marrow transplant offers Ryland a full cure, and the costs of such a procedure are estimated at $1 million or more.
An account has been opened in the name of The Ryland Robert Joseph Be The Match Fund at Mendo Lake Credit Union in Clearlake to help with medical bills.
To donate to this cause, visit any Mendo Lake Credit Union branch and make a deposit to The Ryland Robert Joseph Be The Match Fund account, 7XXX2080.
A bone marrow drive and fundraiser for Ryland Joseph will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 20, at Lake County Fire Protection District’s Station 70, 14815 Olympic Drive in Clearlake.
Community members are urged to join the national bone marrow registry, Be the Match, www.bethematch.org , either by going online or by attending the April 20 event.
People between the ages of 18 and 44 are the key donor age group, although donors remain in the registry typically until age 61.
Testing is simple and painless, involving a cheek swab for DNA analysis, according to the registry.
There are currently 10.5 million registry members nationwide. Be the Match facilitated 5,800 bone marrow transplants in 2012, and earlier this month the registry reported that more than 800 people in California needed bone marrow transplants.
The Joseph family is encouraging people to register not just in the hope that they could find a match for Ryland, but also to help the thousands of patients nationwide needing the procedure.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.