MONTREAL—Like most four-and-a-half year olds Jayden Roll colours and plays with her friends, however in February she was diagnosed with a life-threatening blood disease, leaving her family scrambling to find a bone marrow donor.
The Roll family is now turning to the public for help.
“She's so smart, she's so much fun she just loves life,” said her father, Warren Roll.
In February, her parents noticed something was wrong.
“She was sleeping everywhere we went. Lying all over the floor and I said this is not normal,” remembered her mother, Kelly Goodman.
She was diagnosed with a rare blood disease, Myelodysplastic Syndrome or MDS.
“It's the most terrifying thing that could happen to any parent once you find out your kid's sick,” said Roll. “What could we do? How could we help improve her chances?”
Her bone marrow was failing and now she is in desperate need of a transplant. No one in her family is a match, including her younger brothers.
She needs blood transfusions every two weeks to stay alive.
Jayden’s family started a Facebook page and was contacted by a Concordia student looking to help.
“I think that there's not enough awareness for people who have blood cancers and genetic disorders,” said Stephanie Kligman, a member of the Concordia Emergency Medical Team.
The team will hold a bone marrow donor drive for Hayden on Wednesday and Thursday. Potential donors can go to Concordia’s downtown campus, Loyola campus or the Ben Weider Jewish Community Centre.
Joining the bone marrow donor registry is easy. No blood needs to be drawn, only a cheek swab.
“We already have 2000 swap kits, we have an abundance of volunteers and all we really need is them. It’s the best chance for Jayden’s survival,” said Kligman.
That’s all Jayden wants, a shot at a long life.
More information is available at Jayden’s Facebook page.
