Local woman in need of donor

In 2013, doctors nationwide diagnosed 49,000 people with Leukemia. This past April, Cathy Habeeb Sheehan, of Boxford, was one of them.

Last June, she had a sibling stem cell transplant. However, it failed and her only other brother is not a match. Currently, there is no donor match in the National Register. She is in need of a second stem cell transplant.

Latitude Sports Club in Methuen is hosting a stem cell donor drive in January. Her friends and family are asking for people to volunteer to be tested as a possible donor match.

Sheehan is a mother of two daughters and a son. In her spare time, shes a spin instructor at Latitude Sports Club in Salisbury.

In the past Latitude has helped Sheehan with other stem cell donor drives but no match was found.

The family is beside themselves, family friend Ruth Ann LeHane said. LeHane has worked for Sheehans mother for more than 30 years.

The ideal match for Sheehan is someone in between 18 and 44 years old and is in good health.

To find out if you are a match for Sheehan is simple says LeHane.

It just takes a swab inside your cheek, she said. Its quick and painless.

People should be notified within a couple of weeks if they are a match.

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Local woman in need of donor