Reina Martinez Hernandez was not yet 2-years-old when she was diagnosed with Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia (JMML). JMML is a rare and aggressive blood cancer that affects young children.

After a cycle of chemotherapy, Reina and her family relocated from South Carolina to receive treatment at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore in the Bronx, NY.

She was immediately admitted to the hospital in January of 2022.

Her only chance for a cure was a bone marrow transplant. Unfortunately, she has no siblings and no match was found in the worldwide bone marrow registries.

Removing Barriers to Find a Match

The transplant team at Montefiore reached out to the Icla da Silva Foundation to provide financial assistance for HLA testing. They needed to see which parent was the best match for a Haploidentical Bone Marrow Transplant.

A haploidentical transplant is a breakthrough process that uses cells from a half-matched donor to replace cancerous cells. The donor is typically a family member.

With support from the Icla da Silva Foundation, both parents were tested. Her mom was identified as the best match.

On April 11, 2022, Reina received a bone marrow transplant and is doing amazingly well.

More Barriers

Being so far from home to receive this breakthrough treatment has resulted in critical financial stress for the family. Thanks to the Icla da Silva Foundation’s generous supporters, the Foundation was able to provide Reina’s family with two months of lodging during her transplant.

We are happy to see the beautiful smile on Reina’s face.

The Icla da Silva Foundation continues to remain engaged with the family while they wait to return home with their healthy baby girl.

Thanks for reading. Your gift can help support more patients like Reina.

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