Join Rihanna: Are You a Marrow Match for Budding ‘Lion King’ Performer Shannon Tavarez?

Young 11-year-old Shannon Tavarez (pictured solo leaning against the tree) has demonstrated a promising Broadway career with weekly performances as young Nala in The Lion King. But now her dream is simply to grow up, as she was diagnosed in April with AML Leukemia. Can you help Shannon? Join Rihanna in the fight against leukemia!

Shannon was performing when the symptoms first hit. Her lower back and legs suddenly started hurting, making it hard for her to perform or even walk. Now she lives at Schneider Children's Hospital in Long Island where she receives daily chemotherapy treatments. Her doctor believes a bone marrow transplant from a stranger may be her only chance of survival.

Shannon's mother is African American and her father is Dominican. African Americans make up less than seven percent of the national registry and have a particularly hard time finding a match. To find out if you are a match for Shannon or someone like her, sign up for a registration kit with DKMS, the world’s largest bone marrow donor center at www.dkmsamericas.org.