Brooklyn 6-Year-Old Needs Bone Marrow Transplant -- Donor Drive Today, Monday, June 27

A P.S. 154 student, 6-year-old Aidan Seeger, was recently diagnosed with ALD and desperately needs a bone marrow transplant. ALD is a genetic determined neurological disorder and affects the brain with demyelination (nerve cells throughout the brain are destroyed).

Aidan first started showing symptoms in February but was only diagnosed recently while at the University of Minnesota.

On Monday, June 27, P.S.154 will be hosting a Bone Marrow Donor Drive at 1625 11th
Avenue Brooklyn, NY, from 8:30am until 3:00pm in the MMR. Please stop in and sign up to join the Be the Match Registry.

Symptoms of this disorder include visual disturbances, auditory discrimination, impaired coordination, dementia and seizures. Symptoms progress rapidly and lead to a vegetative state within two years and death anytime thereafter.

There is no cure for ALD, but there are some experimental methods available. One treatment is a bone marrow transplant. The idea is to replace cells that have the defective ALD gene with cells that have a normal ALD gene.

The family has requested that this information be kept from the children as Aidan is not yet aware of the details of his illness. They are also asking that he be treated as he always has been. In addition, P.S. 154 is raising funds to help the family with expenses such as medical, airfare, and possibly an apartment rental in Minnesota. Any financial help you can provide is greatly appreciated. Cash and checks are accepted. Checks should be made payable to Elisa and Bobby Seeger and they can be given to Sam Ortiz, the principal of P.S. 154 or Eric Havlik, the Assistant Principal of the school.

Joining the Be The Match Registry is easy. Patients need donors who are between the ages of 18 and 60, meet the health guidelines and are willing to donate to any patient in need. Bring photo ID. You'll be giving four swab samples of your cheek cells to be tissue-typed.

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