WIRC RichmondRICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — After four years of battling a severe blood disease, five-year-old Zion Ortiz is finally free of sickle cell anemia.
Earlier this month, Zion underwent a successful bone marrow transplant in North Carolina after his family discovered that his 14-year-old half-sister, Marissa, was a donor match.
“This has been about four years in the making. So, the fact that we’re here -- we’re just over the moon,” said Zion’s mother, Taniqua Bates.
Marissa proved to be a “haplo-identical” match after a swab test in April revealed she shared half of Zion’s genetic markers, a type of match often found within families.
“She was a rock star and harvested a beautiful amount of cells for Zion -- over the recommended cell dosage,” Bates said. “She obviously feels honored to be that her
The Virginian-Pilot
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