Lion King Cast to Greet Fans at Bone Marrow Drive for Leukemia Patient Shannon Tavarez

Cast and crew members of the hit Broadway musical The Lion King will participate in a bone marrow drive being organized on behalf of show alum Shannon Tavares. The 11-year-old actress was starring as Young Nala before being diagnosed with Acute Leukemia in April. Tavarez is currently receiving daily chemotherapy treatments at Schneider Children’s Hospital on Long Island, but her doctors say that a bone marrow transplant is necessary for her survival.

As previously reported on Broadway.com, Tavarez, the daughter of an African-American mom and Dominican dad, faces long odds because of the lack of registered marrow donors from those ethnic groups. For that reason, the DKMS registry and Disney Theatrical Productions will join the young star’s family and friends at bone marrow drives to be held on July 18 at St. Malachy’s Actors’ Chapel Senior Center and on July 23 at the Minskoff Theatre. Lion King cast members will greet potential donors at the July 23 event.

Registering to become a bone marrow donor starts with a simple cheek swab. Donors must be between 18 and 55 and in good general health. If prospective donors are found to be a match, a DKMS representative will contact them to answer an extended health questionnaire. At that point, a scheduled blood test and physical examination will ultimately determine if those candidates are in fact, the best suitable donors. When prospective donors register with DKMS, they will be listed on the Be The Match Registry to be a possible match for any patient in need of a bone marrow transplant. For more information, visit www.MatchShannon.com and www.GetSwabbed.org.