Organization Helps Kids in Need of Cord Blood

Margaret Guedes is the CEO of Kids Beating Cancer, an organization that recruits stem cell donors for in hopes of finding matches for children across the country in need of transplants. Her dedication to the cause stems from a very personal place, as her son died at 9-years-old after battling leukemia for four years.

John was only 5-years-old when he was diagnosed with the life-threatening disease. He received two bone marrow transplants from his 4-year-old brother, Michael Todd, but underwent several complications over the years.

His mother states that John would regularly ask, “Why do kids get Cancer?”

Although there is no answer to his innocent question, there is hope for children suffering from the disease. Margaret’s organization, Kids Beating Cancer, seeks to provide children across the country with a second chance at hope by finding new registrants for the National Marrow Registry.

“Kids Beating Cancer is saving lives by recruiting and funding the lab testing necessary to identify stem cell donors for children whose life depends on receiving a stem cell transplant”, she says. “These selfless volunteers are willing to give a second chance at life to a child stricken by a life-threatening disease”.