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LAPD Officers Organize Bone Marrow Drive for Colleague

For officers in the Los Angeles Police Department's Harbor Division blue blood runs deep. The officers are rallying around one of their own as he seeks treatment for a life-threatening blood illness.

Last month Officer Matthew Medina, a seven-year veteran of the gang unit, was diagnosed with aplastic anemia — a condition where bone marrow stops making enough new blood cells, which impairs the immune system.

"He looked fine," said Officer Medina's wife, Angelee. "He never showed any signs of illness except for these red spots he had on his arm."

Now he needs a bone-marrow transplant, but finding a match can be difficult. Medina is Filipino and the bone marrow registry has a particular shortage of Asian donors. His colleagues and family — including his two young daughters — are organizing a series of registration drives in the hopes of finding a match. One of Medina's daughters created a sticker to raise awareness. It reads: "keep calm and help our daddy fight."

There are currently about 75,000 people looking for bone marrow donors. People 18-44 years old can become members of the bone marrow registry. The process requires just four cheek swabs.

"If you're a match, I'd like it to be for Matt, but if it's not for Matt then you can be the miracle for somebody else," said Medina's partner, Dante Pagaulayan.

Medina and Pagaulayan have been best friends since high school. Pagaulayan praised his friend’s sense of humor and was eager to do whatever he could to help.

Nearly 200 people came to the registration drive at Harbor Division Thursday and though Medina couldn't be there he said he was incredibly grateful.

"They're just like a second family," Medina said of his fellow officers. "They've been there since day one. Everything I need and my family needs they provide. It's an awesome feeling."

There will be another bone marrow drive Saturday in Long Beach.

Visit Match4Matt on Facebook to learn more about helping officer Medina.

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