West Orange Girl In Urgent Need Of Bone Marrow Transplant

WEST ORANGE, NJ — A 10-year-old girl in West Orange with a rare condition has been waiting for a bone marrow transplant for three years. And her family is just as determined to find her a match as the day they first began the search.

On Saturday, Feb. 13, the Essex County community will pull together in another attempt to locate a donor for Veronica DePauli, who has been diagnosed with a condition called Autosomal Dominant Osteopetrosis Type 2. The condition can cause symptoms like facial paralysis, anemia, hearing/vision loss, and can ultimately cause bone marrow failure.

And the only known cure for her disease is a stem cell or bone marrow transplant, her family says.

• See related article: West Orange 2nd Grader Urgently Needs Bone Marrow Donor

On Saturday, a drive-thru bone marrow registry drive will be held at West Orange High School, 51 Conforti Avenue, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. People between 18 and 44-years-old can register to see if they qualify as potential donors.

Those who can’t attend can order a swab kit by visiting join.bethematch.org/porveronica or texting “porveronica” to 61474.

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