Murrieta athlete seeks bone marrow match

Nine-year-old Ricky Martinez, nicknamed Smiley, of Murrieta, Calif. is battling aplastic anemia, a bone marrow disease that prevents the marrow from making enough red and white blood cells and platelets for the body. Ricky needs a marrow transplant, but does not have a matching donor in his family.

Members of the community have banded together to find Ricky a match, organizing donor registry drives around the Murrieta area. Be The Match recruiter Shelley Baker explained the most common misconceptions about registering for the Be The Match Registry. She explained that joining the registry is easy and the most important thing a potential donor can do is be willing to donate to anyone in need.