WEST HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – An eight-year-old boy and his family are hopeful the perfect match will come forward for a bone marrow transplant after two previous matches did not work out.
Matthew Gallardo was first diagnosed with a form of Leukemia in 2018. He beat it in 2020, but a rare, more aggressive form returned this year.
“I want this over, and I want to go back to where my life used to be,” said Matthew.
According to Matthew’s parents, things were normal, for a spell, until he began to get sick more and more frequently.
“He wasn’t feeling himself. Fever was 103 degrees,” said Matthew’s mother, Nyria Gallardo.
After a series of tests, doctors confirmed Matthew had cancer, again.
“It was a treatment-based cancer,” said his father, Manuel.
It was a rare and aggressive form.
Along with Chemotherapy, Matthew and his parents were told he would need a bone marrow transplant.
The family says two perfect matches pulled out. However, Matthew’s doctors and parents are hopeful one of the four 90% matches will work.
“It’s part of the same book, but it’s a new chapter,” his father tearfully said.
It remains a long chapter — especially for an 8-year-old.
Matthew, his family, and friends are calling on others to sign up for the National Bone Marrow program.
“Please register for my donation for the bone marrow transplant to help me get out of this cancer,” Matthew said.
If you’d like to see if you are a match, visit BeTheMatch.org/Miles4Matthew.