{"id":154083,"date":"2026-02-13T06:23:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T06:23:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/154083\/"},"modified":"2026-02-13T06:23:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T06:23:08","slug":"florida-dads-plea-goes-tiktok-viral-in-search-of-stem-cell-donor-for-son","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/154083\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida dad’s plea goes TikTok-viral in search of stem cell donor for son"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Father Father searches for stem cell donor for son<\/a> <\/p>\n

A Florida father, Juan Uribe, is urgently seeking a stem cell donor for his 15-year-old son Max, who has a rare blood disorder that could turn into fatal blood cancer without a transplant. FOX 13’s Danielle Zulkosky reports.<\/p>\n

TAMPA, Fla. – Juan Uribe<\/a>\u00a0is a father looking for a stem cell donor to match with his 15-year-old son,\u00a0Max<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The backstory:<\/p>\n

“Hi, my name is Juan, and I’m posting this because I need your help to save my son,” Uribe said in his\u00a0now viral TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n

MORE NEWS: Florida man regains voice to surprise wife after both survive cancer: ‘I love you’<\/a><\/p>\n

Uribe is mobilizing the masses with the power of social media to find a donor.<\/p>\n

“He has a very rare blood disorder that right now is called\u00a0clonal cytopenia<\/a>,” Uribe said.<\/p>\n

Without a stem cell transplant, it will turn into blood cancer.<\/p>\n

“They’re incredibly rare in kids and incredibly deadly,” Uribe said.<\/p>\n

Max’s five-year outcome without the transplant is grim.<\/p>\n

“Chances are he would die. He wouldn’t make it,” Uribe said. “We wouldn’t have him five years from now.”<\/p>\n

The Uribe family thought they had a match, and it fell through.<\/p>\n

“It’s a parent’s worst nightmare,” Uribe said. “It is awful.”<\/p>\n

Now, they need a stranger to step in to save his life.<\/p>\n

“Please click on the link, request the kit to be sent home, swab, return it and then pray that my son is able to find a perfect match,” Uribe urged in his first video.<\/p>\n

Dig deeper:<\/p>\n

His first ever TikTok took off.<\/a><\/p>\n

Now, with nearly 14 million views, he credits retired\u00a0NFL\u00a0<\/a>defensive end and social media star\u00a0Isaac Rochell<\/a>\u00a0for making it go viral by resharing it.<\/p>\n

“And then things began to build on that. And we’ve been fortunate people like\u00a0Tinx<\/a>,\u00a0Joe Jonas<\/a>, and countless others,” Uribe said. “And I am so appreciative of everyone, regardless of whether they have a million followers or 10 followers.”<\/p>\n

Now there’s another hurdle for Uribe.<\/p>\n

By the numbers:<\/p>\n

Latinos only have a 5% chance of matching compared to 80% for Caucasians because there are not enough Latinos registered to donate.<\/p>\n

“Hispanics are 20% of the population, and they’re about half of that in the bone marrow registries,” Uribe said. “So, there’s a huge underrepresentation. And I do think that in part, it’s probably an awareness issue.”<\/p>\n

Uribe explained that matches have to do with genetic makeup and that is related to\u00a0race<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It is even more difficult for Latinos, many of whom are mixed race.<\/p>\n

Max is 50% Columbian, so finding a match is an involved process.<\/p>\n

People in Florida <\/a>could solve this problem for Uribe by registering to see if they are a match.<\/p>\n

Uribe explained that the largest populations of people with a similar genetic makeup to his son reside in Boston, New York City and Florida, specifically Southern Florida.<\/p>\n

Big picture view:<\/p>\n

Uribe is trying to single-handedly change the statistic that Latinos have a low chance of matching.<\/p>\n

Uribe\u2019s video inspired 12,000 people to request a kit from\u00a0NMDP<\/a>,\u00a0the nationwide stem cell and bone marrow registry, smashing the previous single day record.<\/p>\n

“Definitely this has broken all previous records,” Erica Sevilla, public relations manager at\u00a0NMDP, said. “I think our last record for 24-hour kit requests was over 4,000. And so, to hit 12,000 in 24 hours, that’s the power of TikTok and social media.”<\/p>\n

What you can do:<\/p>\n

NMDP\u00a0will send you a kit for free.<\/p>\n

“It comes with two swab kits inside and, so you just swab the inside of each cheek for 10 seconds, and then it comes with a postage paid return envelope,” Sevilla said.<\/p>\n

You just have to make sure you follow the instructions and send it back.<\/p>\n

“You’re only called for additional testing if you’re identified as a potential match for a patient,” Sevilla said. “So, we ask people to just be committed to donate to anybody because there are 12,000 patients every year who are looking for an unrelated donor.”<\/p>\n

Locally, doctors said the process to donate your stem cells is relatively easy.<\/p>\n

Ivan Borrello is a physician at Tampa<\/a> General Hospital and the director of\u00a0Myeloma\u00a0BMT\u00a0and the Soul Therapy Program.<\/p>\n

“It’s sort of like dialysis,” Borrello said. “Blood is sucked out. The stem cells are saved, and then the blood is put back in.”<\/p>\n

Uribe said the process is confidential, but he would like to meet his son’s donor.<\/p>\n

“I would be prepared to give my life to whoever saves my son’s life,” Uribe said. “So yes, I’d want to meet them so that I could thank them.”<\/p>\n

NMDP\u00a0said if you are called upon to donate, they will cover all costs, including your travel and missed work.<\/p>\n

If you are interested in joining the stem cell and bone marrow registry, you can learn more\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Source: Information for this story was gathered from interviews with the NMDP,\u00a0the nationwide stem cell and bone marrow registry, a local physican and a father seeking a stem cell donor for his son<\/p>\n

Florida<\/a>Health<\/a>