22-Year Old with Rare Blood Cancer Searches for Bone Marrow Donor

Boca Raton, FL, April 22, 2021 – Riley Martin, a 22-year old from Amsterdam, New York, is in desperate need of a blood stem cell or bone marrow transplant to save his life. This February, he was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, an aggressive type of blood cancer rare in young people. While he has gone through chemotherapy treatment, it is not working and he now needs the public’s help to find his perfect match that could save his life.

Before his illness and hospitalization, Riley was a health and fitness fanatic who worked as a coach at CrossFit Schenectady. He and his family were shocked at his diagnosis and dismayed to learn that none of his siblings and other loved ones are a match for him. Unfortunately, 70 percent of patients in need of a marrow transplant do not have a matching donor in their family and must rely on a bone marrow registry and the selflessness of a stranger for help.

“This diagnosis was such as blow to him, our family and friends for multiple reasons,” said Riley’s mother Julie Martin. “In addition to his young age and heathy lifestyle, Riley’s battle with cancer is especially hard because he lost one of his childhood best friends to leukemia just last year. He feels his fight is not just for himself, but also for her.”

A kind and spiritual person who loves Christian and country music, as well as spending time with his girlfriend, family and three dogs, Riley and his family are hoping for a miracle.

“Please be the hero we need to give Riley a chance to survive and go on living this life that he truly loves and sincerely appreciates,” said his mother.

Riley’s family is working with Gift of Life Marrow Registry, which has mounted an urgent campaign, calling on those who are 18 to 35 and in good health to join the registry as soon as possible. To order a swab kit, visit giftoflife.org/RileyStrong. To hold a donor recruitment drive, email Gift of Life Recruitment Manager Traci Ackerman at tackerman@giftoflife.org.

You may also support Riley by donating to his family’s fundraising “Donor Circle” campaign. Every contribution helps Gift of Life add new donors to the registry and goes directly toward testing swab kits in order to find matches for Riley and patients like him.

“If you’re healthy and of the right age, please consider joining the registry to help save Riley or another patient battling blood cancer, said Gift of Life’s Director of Organizational Advancement Marti Freund. “Please also consider a donation to offset the costs associated with testing the swab kits,”

About Gift of Life Marrow Registry

Gift of Life Marrow Registry is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Boca Raton, Fla. The organization, established in 1991, is dedicated to saving lives by facilitating bone marrow and blood stem cell transplants for patients with leukemia, lymphoma, and other blood-related diseases. To learn more about Gift of Life Marrow Registry, visit www.giftoflife.org.