Toronto toddler searching for one-in-40-million donor to save her life
The family of three-year-old Leia Fallico is on the search of a lifetime — they're looking for a donor to provide Leia with a life-saving stem cell transplant.
In February, Leia was diagnosed with Dyskeratosis congenita, a rare genetic form of bone marrow failure.
“We were so shocked and it was so hard to believe because we saw a child who didn't present the symptoms but the thing about this genetic illness is that it can present at any time,” Leia’s mother, Shonna Follico, told CTV News.
In late May, Shonna and Marco Fallico were told by The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto that Leia would need a stem cell treatment.
However, Leia’s mixed ethnicity — she is both Persian and European — has made finding her a donor challenging. She will likely need a donor of a similar background, the family said.
Canadian Blood Services, who facilitates stem cell donations in Canada, said that “while not always the case, patients are more likely to find a matching donor among those who share their ethnic ancestry which makes an ethnically diverse donor base extremely important.”
“Only 3.5 per cent of the Canadian Blood Services’ stemcell registry is made up of people of mixed ethnicity making it hard for patients like Leia to find a match,” Fallico said.
“That is a scary percentage, especially when we are going through this with our daughter and for anyone else out there who is of mixed race looking for a bone marrow transplant,” she said.
As of right now, out of 40 million donors currently registered worldwide, none are a match for Leia.
The Fallico family has launched a campaign in the hopes of finding a donor for Leia.
The campaign has caught the attention of many prominent voices across the province.
Ontario’s Minister of Education Stephen Lecce has raised concerns about the issue, meeting with the Fallico family and urging Ontarians to check if they could be an eligible donor.
“I want you to join me today in taking a swab to help save [Leia’s] life … It literally takes thirty seconds … It doesn’t hurt,” Lecce said in a video of the meeting.
The City of Vaughan has also released a statement on Leia’s journey.
"To Marco, Shonna and the Fallico family, I want you to know that you are not alone,” wrote Vaughan mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua.
“The entire Vaughan community is with you every step of this journey to find a donor match for Leia,” he said.
A GoFundMe set up for the Fallico family has raised over $150,000 so far. The family says that funds will go towards “costs associated with Leia’s transplant surgery, therapy sessions, the cost to purchase swab kits from a private lab in the US and additional costs for testing when a donor is matched.”
Right now, the Fallico family’s primary goal is to urge others to check their donor eligibility.
“Our main focus is to plead with everyone that is able in Canada — if you're between 17 and 35 — please register with blood.ca … They will ship you a free swap. It’s easy,” Marco Fallico said.
Eligible donors can register through Canadian Blood Services or Swab the World.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.