This weekend the community will be given the chance to save the life of one of its youngest residents. On Friday, April 28, the AmVets Post No. 94 will host a bone marrow registration drive from 3-7 p.m.

Wade Wachter is the son of Adam and Jenni (Duvall) Wachter of Perryville and the grandson of Terri and Lori Duvall, Robyn Roy, and Rodney and Barb Wachter.

On the outside, little Wade is a normal kid though he has been battling a very rare form of bone marrow failure disorder called Schwachman Diamond Syndrome. This dysfunction of the bone marrow requires a lifesaving transplant. He currently takes medication daily and has routine biopsies to monitor for potential leukemia developments in his body.

This disease is so rare that funding is hard to find, which limits the number of possible treatments available. DKMS is the nonprofit group leading the charge to find a bone marrow match for Wachter.

Recent tests show that Wachter will need an immediate transplant for his best chance to have a normal childhood, and according to the DKMS website only 30 percent of patients find a donor inside their families. Nearly 14,000 patients require donations from matched individuals outside of their family line each year. Out of more than 800,000 donors in the U.S., and over 6 million worldwide, 6 out of 10 patients are still unable to find a compatible donor.

We thank DKMS and our community for working with us to help find Wade a bone marrow match, said Jenni Wachter, Wades mother. From the outside, Wade may look like your average 6-year-old child, when really he has been facing a life-threatening battle for years. Our hope is to grow the bone marrow registry to help increase the chances of finding Wade a match so he can move forward towards a healthy and happy life.

Potential donors include anyone who is in good general health between the ages of 18 to 55. Registration is free and only requires filling out a simple form and a quick swab of the inside of each cheek. DKMS covers the $65 registration and processing fee for each supporter, but donations will be accepted to cover costs.

There are two ways to donate once a match has been found. The first method is the Peripheral Blood Stem Cell (PBSC) donation. This is a non-surgical, outpatient procedure that collects blood stem cells via the bloodstream. It takes about 4-8 hours on 1-2 consecutive days. This method is used in 75 percent of all cases. The other donation method is by direct bone marrow procedure. It is a 1-2 hour surgical procedure, done under anesthesia, where a syringe collects marrow cells from the back of the pelvic bone. This method is only used in about 25 percent of the cases, usually when the patient is a child.

Anyone unable to attend the drive that wishes to register as a potential donor may do so online at http://www.dkms.org. The Perryville AmVets Post No. 94 is located at 1203 W. Saint Joseph Street.

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Bone marrow drive set for local youth - Perry County Republic Monitor