Man tied to Porterville National Guard needs transplant

A member of Porterville’s extended military family is in need of a bone marrow match.

Spc. Marcos Corona of Fresno joined the California Army National Guard in April 2009 and was assigned to the infantry unit in Porterville.

The husband and father to 20-month-old Marcos Jr. was diagnosed with stage-four acute myeloid leukemia, a cancer that starts inside bone marrow, in April 2011. He is need of a bone marrow transplant.

A match could not be found on the nationwide bone marrow registry. None of Marcos’ siblings were a match, so various marrow donor registry drives have been held throughout the Valley.

In an effort to find a match, a registry drive will be noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 3, at the National Guard Armory in Porterville, 29 N. Plano St. A blood drive will also take place.

After months of chemotherapy his leukemia went into remission in February 2012 and he returned to full military duty.

In November 2012, the cancer returned and his doctors said chemotherapy will not keep his leukemia in remission.

Since siblings were not a match, the next best match would be from someone between the age of 18 and 44 and of Latino heritage. But only 10 percent of the 9 million people registered as donors in the US are Latinos,

Joining the marrow registry is quick and painless, a cheek swab is taken as well as some contact information.

For more information on the local drive, call the Armory at 784-4684 or Jesus Gallardo at 788-7265 or Al Moreno at 920-2729. For more information on the registry go to www.bethematch.org. A Facebook page has been set up for Corona at www.facebook.com/pages/Band-of-Brothers-A-Brother/.