(CLICK ON THE CLAPPERBOARD TO VIEW THE 50 Cent VIDEO APPEAL)
Rap superstar 50 Cent is encouraging fans to follow in his footsteps and register as bone marrow donors after he was moved by the plight of young Broadway star and leukaemia sufferer Shannon Tavarez
The 11-year-old actress, who played the young Nala in hit musical The Lion King, was diagnosed with Acute Leukaemia in April (10) and is in desperate need of a bone marrow transplant to survive
Alicia Keys and Rihanna have already issued a plea to their devotees to help find a suitable donor for Shannon and now 50 Cent and his G-Unit bandmate Tony Yayo have thrown their support behind the cause
It's a commitment to save a life. The rappers recently registered with DKMS, the world's largest marrow donor center, after hearing about little Shannon
And the In Da Club hitmaker admits he was inspired to make a change after realising his own son, Marquise and Shannon were almost the same age
When rapper and actor 50 Cent heard about Shannon, he immediately registered with DKMS and completed a simple cheek swab to join the national registry of eligible bone marrow donors. He wants to draw attention to children like Shannon and that broader issue of leukaemia patients awaiting bone marrow donors that can be solved simply by people registering as potential donors
"My son is just a couple years older than Shannon and I can't imagine if his life was needlessly cut short when there is someone out there that could save him," 50 Cent says in a release. "A complete stranger is the only person who can give Shannon a fighting chance to live
The rapper continues, "Everyone, regardless of their race or ethnicity deserves a fair chance at life. Registering to become a bone marrow donor starts with a simple saliva sample or cheek swab but it's more than that. It's a commitment to save a life." He also filmed a PSA (Public Service Announcement) video to encourage everyone between the ages of 18 and 55 in good health to register and become a potential donor.
If 50 isn't enough to convince you, listen to Katharina Harf, the co-founder of DKMS Americas, who lost her mother to leukaemia: "Register today so Shannon doesn't have to keep her dream waiting."
(Text, Video and picture reprinted courtesy of Femalefirst and DKMS)
UPDATE ON SHANNON TAVAREZ
On November 1, 2010, Shannon sadly died at the age of 11 in New York. The lights at the Minskoff Theatre, where The Lion King was playing, were dimmed the night she passed. In a statement Shannon's mother said her daughter's dream was to perform on stage, and that she did achieve her dream
Shannon, who played the young lion Nala, had received an umbilical-cord blood transplant in August. The procedure was performed as an alternative to a bone marrow transplant. Her doctor, said that a perfect bone marrow match for Shannon was not found in time
