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El Monte police sergeant seeks bone marrow donor to save daughter's life
An El Monte police sergeant is seeking a bone marrow donor match for his daughter, Stella, after her diagnosis with aplastic anemia.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. - An El Monte Police Sgt. is on a quest to find a donor match for his daughter.
Hundreds across Southern California showed up in support of Stella and her fight against a life-threatening bone marrow disorder.
The El Monte Police Officers Foundation, along with the Valle family and others, hosted a drive and fundraiser Thursday to help Stella Valle and others living with this rare disorder.
"I started to have a lot of dizziness, fatigue, and I was getting tired during my softball and flag football workouts," Stella Valle said.
Stella was recently diagnosed with aplastic anemia, a rare bone marrow failure disease that makes it hard for her to even walk to and from class.
"Depending on how severe it is, there is only one cure, and it's ultimately a bone marrow transplant, and that's what I'm hoping for," Stella said.
Her parents are determined to make that hope a reality with a call to the community.
"I'm seeing people here that I haven't seen in 15, 20 years, and it's just overwhelming support, amazing, especially with everything that we're going through," Stella's mother, Abigail Valle, said.
Hundreds of people packed the back lot of the El Monte Police Department on Thursday. Her father, Sgt. Frankie Valle, helped organize the fundraiser and drive to find a life-saving bone marrow match.
"We are looking for a match, a donor for her, and the National Marrow Donor Program is in conjunction with the Foundation. They have a tent set up where they're doing swabs for testing," Sgt. Frankie Valle said.
"It breaks your heart, but at the end of the day, it's really encouraging to see how many people came out to support," said Ashley Ethridge, who attended the fundraiser and drive Thursday.
Stella says finding a 10-out-of-10 match is like winning the lottery. But those who get swabbed could also help save another life if they are a match for someone else in the registry looking for a donor.
"I'm hoping that they're also a match for them and they have a chance not just to save me but to save another life and give somebody the cure," Stella said.
A GoFundMe has been set up to raise funds to support Stella's health journey. Those looking to help can click here.
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