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California Teenager Dies from Leukemia Despite Search for Bone Marrow Donor in China


A California teenager sick with leukemia died on Thursday after they failed to get a match in the United States.  The girls adoptive mother even went to China to find a bone marrow donor to no avail.

Katie Cramer, 16 years-old, died at home on Thursday, the Sacramento Bee reported. Katie was first diagnosed with the fatal blood disease four years ago. Since then, her family struggled to search for a bone marrow donor so she could go through a transplant.

The teenage girl was only 14-months old when she was adopted from China. She had no known blood relatives who could possibly donate to her with bone marrow.

Katie’s case could highlight the difficulties that ethnic minorities face when searching for bone marrow matches. The Asian American Donor Program said that they only have about 50-percent chance to find a match from the donor registry in the United States, which is significantly lower than the 80-percent chance for Americans.

Katie’s adoptive mother, Sherrie Cramer, went to China in July in the hopes of finding a donor. However, her trip was not successful when the samples she brought, after some tests done by the local Red Cross, proved not to find a perfect match for Katie.

After her mother’s trip to China, Katie’s health condition aggravated as she battled with heart damage, as well as weakened immune system brought about her treatments for cancer.

Katie’s doctor informed her family on New Year’s Day that she would not get better, and had only few days left to live.

Katie, on her last days, was surrounded by friends, family, and her beloved dog. Her parents were at her side when she stopped breathing. Sherrie told the Bee that it was very beautiful and peaceful. They had known all the things she had fought, and it was a relief that she was not in pain and not sick.

The public memorial will be held on January 22 in Sacramento.

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