Mira Tuteja from Massachusetts is fighting leukemia.
AB Wire
A two-year-old Indian American girl, Mira Tuteja, from Westborough, Massachusetts, who has been battling leukemia for nearly a year, urgently needs a blood stem cell/bone marrow transplant to survive.
Community Advocate reported that Mira Tuteja, “a beautiful little two-year-old girl who loves singing, having story books read to her and playing outside,” the daughter of Bhavya and Jatin Tuteja, was first diagnosed with the cancer in May, 2015.
Tuteja, unfortunately after going through four grueling rounds of chemotherapy, relapsed in February. She now requires a blood stem cell/bone marrow transplant. To help her find a match, her family and friends have organized a series of donor drives, the report said.
Those who are ages 45-60 years are encouraged to register for the drive by going online at bethematch.org and using the promo code: mirasfighters.
Participating in the drive is very easy – all that is required to see if you are a match for Mira or anyone else suffering from cancer is a simple, painless cheek swab. Drive participants must agree to donate for Mira or anyone else if you are a match and the need arises.
Ideally Mira’s perfect donor would be someone of South Asian/Indian origin. According to the National Marrow Donor Program, only 2 percent of the national registry is South Asian, so her family is hopeful that by spreading the word of her critical situation a donor will be found for her.
For more information on bone marrow transplants visit bethematch.org. To learn more about how you can help Mira and to follow her journey, visitwww.facebook.com/mirasfighters, on Twitter (@jtmsm), and the blog,mirastrong.wordpress.com.
WHDH, an affiliate of NBC News, and the Associated Press reported the eBridge Montesorri School in Westborough held a drive for Tuteja.
“Just as Mira’s beautiful thick hair came back, so did her leukemia,” the report said.
Mira’s father said time is of the essence. “If they don’t treat her, it will kill her in two weeks, it’s that strong, progresses rapidly,” said Jatin Tuteja.
The Tutejas are now relying on the kindness of strangers to save her life.