It was an answer to prayers. A match has been found for 7-year-old McKinze Clayton, diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome in September. Doctors gave her 36 months to live without treatment, but tests in January showed her bone marrow had mutated into a second disease, Monosomy 7, a form of leukemia. Her prognosis of survival decreased to only one year. Because chemotherapy was not possible without a bone marrow transplant, the community joined forces to help find a match. McKinze’s Crusade was launched and teamed up with Be The Match to find a donor.

“I was amazed,” said Donna Hayes Whitaker, McKinze’s mom who was at All Children’s Hospital when she received news. “The doctor said we need to start planning for the transplant as soon as possible.” McKinze will be admitted into All Children’s Hospital on March 11 to start a 10 day treatment that includes three different types of chemotherapy. After a day of rest, she will start the marrow transplant.