Help Save This Young Broadway Star's Life

For any child actor, being cast in a Broadway show is an accomplishment in and of itself. Being cast in one of the biggest, brightest and longest-running shows on Broadway, however, shows true talent and the beginning of a long, successful career.

Shannon Tavarez seemed to be living that dream until this April. The bubbly 11-year-old starred in four shows a week as young Nala in Disney's The Lion King on Broadway and attended school full time. Now, two short months later, Shannon's hopes and dreams have completely changed course.

Shannon was performing when she first began experiencing back and leg pain that made it hard for her to walk, let alone continue to go on stage four times a week. Her doctor informed Shannon that she has AML leukemia, a fast-growing cancer of the blood and bone marrow. Now, instead of days that consist of school and the Minskoff Theatre, Shannon lives at Schneider Children's Hospital in Long Island and receives chemotherapy treatments every day.

Since AML leukemia spreads rapidly, Shannon's doctor believes her only chance at survival may be a bone marrow transplant from a stranger. Unfortunately, this will prove difficult, since Shannon's mother is African American, and her father is Dominican. The national registry is comprised of less than seven percent African American donors, which is why DKMS, the world's largest bone marrow donor center, has stepped in to encourage everyone who hears Shannon's story (and many other similar tales) to "get swabbed" and sign up for a registration kit to find out if you or someone you know is a match for Shannon or another leukemia patient awaiting a donor.

In a video posted on DKMS Americas' YouTube channel, Shannon Tavarez sings "The Circle of Life" from The Lion King and speaks from the heart about her situation. "Right now, my biggest dream is just to grow up. That's because I have leukemia and need a bone marrow transplant. But first, I have to find a matching donor. That's where you come in. Help me live my dream. Visit GetSwabbed.org to register with DKMS as a bone marrow donor right away. Please hurry; I don't want to keep my dream waiting."

To find out if you can help Shannon and other leukemia patients looking for donors, follow her directions and visit GetSwabbed.org today.

Photo courtesy of DKMS.