6th grade students come together to help 1st grader

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Some local 6th graders are learning an important lesson that many children their age aren’t always exposed to.

A first grader in their school has a life threatening illness, and Sunday her fellow students held a bone marrow drive to help make a difference.

Six-year-old Sami is struggling with a blood disorder called Fanconi anemia.

“They’re getting the reality of life is precious, and people are precious, and it’s important to care about others,” said 6^th grade teacher, Jenna Richardson.

With the help of Richardson, the students held a bone marrow drive trying to find a match.

“Sami is absolutely an adorable 6-year-old, and I wanted to help her,” said Stephanie Vasquez, one of the students.

Richardson says none of Sami’s family members are a match, so the students had community members come in and see if they were.

“They get their mouths swabbed, and then they send that off to a lab, and the get tested to see if they have a match, if their bone marrows the same kind as Sami,” said Lukas Richardson, a fellow student.

“It’s teaching me how to help people in need. It’s helping me understand people’s lives and how they feel with their diseases,” said Ashlee Blewis, a 6^th grade student.

These kids also did their research.  They learned about the illness and how serious it can be.

“It’s called Fanconi anemia. It’s a blood disorder when you don’t have enough bone marrow to produce all the cells,” said Vasquez.

A life lesson, that maybe most importantly is teaching them about prayer and hope.

“It made me a little sad but not really because there’s one match out there in the world,” said Vasquez.

If you want to help out, you can go to GiftOfLife.org and receive your own kit to be tested.