ALAMEDA -- Ten-year-old Myla Cunanan, a fourth-grader at Ruby Bridges Elementary School in Alameda, has been in Kaiser Oakland since March 24, undergoing her second round of chemotherapy for myeloid sarcoma, a form of acute myeloid leukemia.

Ruby Bridges Elementary hosted a "Myla Needs a Match" bone marrow donor registration drive Saturday that was attended by school parents, Myla's classmates, Kaiser Oakland staff, volunteers from the Asian-American Donor Program (AADP), congregants from the Church of Christ in Alameda, which Myla's family attends, the Alameda Police Department and many others. By day's end, 97 adults had registered to donate bone marrow.

"She's in good spirits; she's very brave," said Myla's mother, Leyna Cunanan, whose daughter was diagnosed with the disease in March. "She needs a bone-marrow transplant in order to survive."

Myla's cousin, 13-year-old Kaitlyn Francisco, who attends Lincoln Middle School, welcomed visitors as they arrived at the bone marrow drive.

"I want to work hard in order for my cousin to get better," Kaitlyn said. "Myla is very sweet, funny and considerate. We visit her every Sunday. Sometimes she's very cheerful, and sometimes she's weak and tired. When we visit her, she always tries to be active."

Myla's sister, Marielle, 13, and her brother, Matthew, 15, also welcomed visitors to the bone marrow drive, standing outside the school where dozens of purple balloons danced in the wind.

"She's really playful and talkative," said Marielle of her little sister. "I want to help find a match for my sister so she can heal."

Myla's aunt, Sarlea Atizado, described her niece as "a very sweet, caring and God-fearing child."

"She has a strong faith in God and does so many selfless acts," Atizado said. "Even in times of sickness, she worries about other people, especially her loved ones. One of her prayers was, 'God, please heal me so that my loved ones will not worry about me, especially my grandmother.' Myla has not only given us the opportunity to take care and pray for her, but has made our family even stronger despite this ordeal. God has a purpose for everything."

Myla is of Filipino descent, which makes it more difficult to find a bone marrow match, according to AADP volunteer Jaydeep Pathak, who explained bone marrow donation procedures to potential donors at the event.

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Alameda: Girl, 10, needs bone marrow donor

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