By: Stephanie Guadian EL PASO, Texas - Inaki Arruti is an El Paso boy battling leukemia and a shortage of blood and bone marrow donations from the Hispanic community. I recently shared his story with KFOX 14 viewers.

The story hit home for Janet Chavarria. She is an employee at Western Technical College and Inaki's cousin.

After being inspired by our story to take action, she and the school organized a two-day Be the Match blood and bone marrow drive. Those who agreed to register simply swabbed their cheeks. The DNA will be compared to patients for a possible match.

It's not just Inaki. There are more children out there you know that have this. There are more people that have this. So, if we are not helping out Inaki, there might be someone else. But hopefully, there will be a match, said Janet Chavarria.

According to Be the Match, a national marrow donor program, Hispanics have only a 72 percent chance of finding a donor, compared with 93 percent for white patients. Anita Gonzales is a Be the Match employee working in El Paso.

We are blessed with another country right next to us. But everything they blow into the air. Unfortunately, it comes into El Paso and we breathe it. It's in the particles in the air, the ground that we walk on, the food that we eat. So, anyone can get leukemia. It's not inherited, said Gonzales.

Today -- the most common way of collecting stem cells is done by filtering them from a person's blood. The procedure is considered painless and similar to donating blood. The donation could one day save of the life of someone like Inaki.

Nearly 300 people signed up to be potential matches at the two day blood and bone marrow drive at Western Technical College. If you would like to find out how you can sign up to be a donor, check outbethematch.org

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Drive held to save El Paso boy and other children in need of donations

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